Episode 466: The Clubsplosion Part 4
Now that two rounds of the Clubsplosion has concluded, we are down to six battles, and one battle shall make it even for two remaining. Sora, Riku, Rydia, Benga, and Cheren will battle it out to see who will make it on through, and we are about to find out who it will be.
The Clubslosion semi-finals is about to begin! First up, we have Sora against Cheren. Both trainers and their Pokémon got into position for battle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Clubsplosion Tournament's semi-finals is officially underway! Coming in from Pallet Town, we have Sora, and coming in from Nuvema Town, we have Cheren!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Let's see what kind of battle these two young trainers can give us here!" Don George announced.
"Trainers, begin!" The referee called out.
"Pignite! Use Power-Up Punch!" Sora ordered. Pignite ran towards Scrafty to land a punch onto Scrafty.
"Use Detect!" Cheren ordered. Scrafty uses Detect to avoid Pignite's punch attack. "Fire Punch!" Scrafty lands a punch onto Pignite.
"Scrafty makes a really good start by using Detect to avoid Power-Up Punch!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Cheren ordered. Scrafty lands a headbutt onto Pignite, causing some heavy damage.
"Pignite! Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Pignite unleashed Flamethrower right at Pignite.
"Dodge and use another Zen Headbutt!" Cheren ordered. Scrafty jumped to avoid Pignite's Flamethrower. "Use High Jump Kick!" Scrafty comes on down to land a kick onto Sora.
"Dodge with Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Pignite uses Flame Charge to dodge Scrafty's High Jump Kick. Scrafty takes lots of damage when it missed its target.
"That was a close one for Sora. High Jump Kick can deal some heavy damage when it misses," Ventus said.
"Pikachu!" Sparky said.
"A good dodge for Sora's favor!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Right. Pignite would have taken some serious damage if High Jump Kick had landed a hit! Let's see if Cheren can recover from that!" Don George said.
"Scrafty! Zen Headbutt!" Cheren ordered.
"Pignite! Use Fire Pledge!" Sora ordered. Pignite unleashed Fire Pledge. It quickly surrounded Scrafty and engulfed it in flames. Scrafty had taken some serious damage. Scrafty was still standing on its feet.
"Scrafty! Fire Punch!" Cheren ordered. Scrafty started to slowly make its way to the fire pig Pokémon with its fist emitting fire.
"Power-Up Punch!" Sora ordered. Pignite lands a powerful punch onto Scrafty, causing some heavy damage. Scrafty tried to get back up, but fell back on its back, exhausted from the punch it had recieved.
"Scrafty is unable to battle! Pignite wins! Sora wins the battle!" The referee announced.
"Sora makes it right to the finals!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Two more remains before we get to the battle before the last!" Don George said.
Riku and Stephan entered the battlefield at the same time. Lampent and Sawk both entered the battlefield along with their trainers.
"Now entering the battlefield at the same time, we have our silver-haired wonder Riku, and facing off is Stephen!" Freddy O'Martian announced. He frowned.
"Why is it hard to get my name right?" Stephan groaned.
"Stephan, you ready to go?" Riku asked.
"Happy that you're getting my name right, and yeah I am!" Stephan said.
"Trainers, begin!" The referee called out.
"Okay, Sawk! Use Low Sweep!" Stephan ordered. Sawk came right at Lampent, but it does nothing to the lamp Pokémon. "Huh?! Low Sweep didn't work?!"
"Low Sweep is a Fighting Type move, so Fighting Type moves has zero effect on Ghost Type Pokémon," Riku said.
"I can't believe Stephen made that kind of mistake," Karen said.
"I have a feeling that even if Montgomery went up against Riku, this would have ended up with the same result," Meowth said.
"You're right, because Fighting Type moves will have no effect on Lampent," Kairi said.
"Okay Lampent, use Psychic!" Riku ordered. Lampent uses Psychic to lift up Sawk and slam him on the ground. Sawk had been taken down.
"Sawk is unable to battle! Lampent wins! The winner is Riku!" The referee announced.
"That battle didn't take long," Freddy O'Martian announced.
"I must say that Stephen has made a costly mistake pitting a Fighting Type against a Ghost Type Pokémon; especially one that can use Psychic!" Don George said.
"That would have been me," Montgomery said. "I was so focused on winning, I forgot Throh's moves won't even touch it."
"And now, it is time for our third battle as promised!" Freddy O'Martian announced. The battle between Benga and Rydia enters the battlefield. "Now that we have come to the third battle before we get to the battle to decide who shall go into the finals! We have Benga against Rydia!" Rydia enters the battlefield with Goodra as Benga enters with Volcarona. Rydia briefly froze up.
"I can't believe that I have to battle a Fire Type Pokémon of all things," Rydia said in her thoughts. She remembered something from her childhood as she was caught in a fire as a child. She was paralyzed with fright that she froze up. Before the flames could consume her, she was saved by someone or something. She couldn't see who or what it was because of the thickness of the smoke. Rydia was curious about how she survived, but one thing for certain, she has developed a fear of fire and Fire Type Pokémon. She couldn't let her fears get the best of her. She continued in her thoughts, "I won't let my fears get the best of me. I won't."
Sora looked right at Rydia and he saw something was bothering her.
"What's eating her?" Sora asked in his thoughts. "I'm sensing fear coming from her. What is she afraid of?"
"Trainers, begin the battle!" The referee called out.
"Okay, Volcarona! Use Fiery Dance!" Benga ordered. Volcarona came right at Goodra with flames surrounding it. Rydia briefly froze on the battlefield before she gave a command.
"Aqua Tail!" Rydia ordered. Goodra swings its tail at the fire moth Pokémon, canceling out Volcarona's Fiery Dance.
"That was a good block with Aqua Tail, now let's see what else she can do!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Dragon Pulse!" Rydia ordered. Goodra unleashed Dragon Pulse and it struck Volcarona hard. "Now use Giga Impact!"
"Dodge it, Volcarona!" Benga called out. Volcarona tried to dodge, but it got hit bad by the attack.
"Volcarona has taken a lot of damage from Goodra's Giga Impact!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"And Goodra won't be able to attack right away after using Giga Impact," Don George added.
"Hang in there, Volcarona! Use Hurricane!" Benga ordered. Volcarona unleashed Hurricane and it struck Goodra hard.
"Dragon Pulse!" Rydia ordered. Goodra unleashed Dragon Pulse and it struck Volcarona on the mark. "Now, use Giga Impact!" Goodra came right at Volcarona and lands a Giga Impact onto Volcarona, resulting in a knockout.
"Volcarona is unable to battle! Goodra wins! The winner is Rydia!" The referee announced.
"And Rydia has won it! Now Don George has this to say!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Now that three trainers remains, there will be one extra battle as promised to determine who shall proceed to the final match! And since Sora has won, he will be battling either Rydia or Riku, so the computer will determine whom he will be battling against!" Don George announced. The computer goes off to see whom Sora will face-off next. The computer has made its selection as Sora will be battling Rydia next. "And there you have it! Sora and Rydia will be facing each shortly after they have their lunch break, so all our remaining trainers have a trip to the Pokémon Center and then the battle shall begin by then!"
"Well, here it is. Sora versus Rydia," Bianca said.
"Yeah. That Goodra looks top-notch, so he knows it won't be easy," Riku said. Everyone all looked at Sora. He wondered if fate played its role once again.
As lunch broke out, Sora, Pikachu, and Pignite were eating the meal Cilan had made as Kairi sat beside Sora as usual.
"So, what kind of plan do you have for Rydia, Sora?" Aqua asked.
"I was thinking Rydia might start off with Aqua Tail since Pignite is a Fire Type, so I'll have to use Flame Charge to dodge.
"You do know that Flame Charge is a Fire Type move, so it won't do much damage," Iris pointed out.
"You're right, but it'll be effective enough," Sora said.
"Don't forget that one of you has to face me at the end," a familiar voice spoke. They turned to see Riku. "Just stick with your gut and you'll do fine." Sora nodded to that.
Elsewhere, Rydia makes contact with PHOP headquarters.
"Rydia here. Here to report," Rydia said.
"Speak," a voice said.
"I made contact with Sora Ketchum. Sorry for the delay, but I couldn't risk on some Team Shadow members listening to us," Rydia said.
"You did the rest thing, Rydia. Speaking of which, has there been any Team Shadow activity since before the Clubsplosion?" The voice asked.
"None whatsoever. Dakim and his forces has retreated and the members that were in custody managed to escape," Rydia said.
"I know. What have you learned from their escape?" The voice asked.
"I'm afraid I couldn't find out much about it from there. I have only what the police report has down," Rydia said.
"I see. I shall hear from you once you have gathered all the information needed," the voice spoke.
"Of course," Rydia said, breaking contact.
Over to PHOP headquarters, the man sat on his desk as he gave a huge sigh.
"What is Arcues's name is going on here? How could they escape without us knowing?" The man asked himself.
Just then, a woman wearing a suit enters through.
"Sir, sorry for interrupting," the woman said.
"What is it?" The man asked.
"She is insisting that she speaks with you," the woman said.
"What about?" The man asked.
"She said she would like to speak with you," the woman said.
"Send her in," the man said. The woman took her leave as a young woman walked in. She has long blonde hair with her hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a red dress with a purple or pink sash around her waist, red boots, and red bracers. "Tina, good of you to come."
"Alphonse, we need to talk about Team Shadow," Tina said.
"Tell me that something has developed," Alphonse said.
"They have. We have reports that some Team Shadow peons has been sighted in different parts of the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Alola, and Galar regions," Tina reported.
"What?" Alphonse asked in a surprised tone. "What about the Kalos region?"
"No report of any Team Shadow activity has been confirmed. Rocky has been sent down there to look into it. We told him to make contact with you as soon as he finds anything," Tina said.
"Good. Rocky is a good detective. If anyone should figure it out, it's him," Alphonse said. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Regarding to the Team Shadow sightings, I have gotten reports that they were recruiting members of Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic, Skull, and some petty criminals," Tina said. Alphonse was silent for a moment before he stroked his chin.
"This is troubling. Why would Team Shadow recruit members of Team Rocket before it was brought down?" Alphonse asked himself. "Nothing about this add up." He knew Team Rocket never saw eye-to-eye with Team Shadow, but he couldn't help but wonder what purpose could the former Team Rocket members serve. Then again, what about Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, or Team Skull before they disbanded. He looked right at Tina. "Look into it a little longer and keep me posted." Tina nodded as she took her leave.
Meanwhile over to the most secured prison in Kanto, Giovanni sat alone in his cell. He had not gotten any visitors since his son came for a visit. A guard came to his cell.
"You have a visitor," the guard said. Giovanni turned to see Matues coming in. Giovanni recognized him. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Mateus said. He turned to Giovanni. "Hello, old friend."
"You!" Giovanni barked. "Come to gloat at me? I'm surprised that it took you so long to do that."
"Oh, Giovanni, I didn't come to gloat. It's just I have been incredibly busy as of late. I thought I would spare some time by witnessing you in this pathetic state you're in," Mateus chuckled.
"I'm sure you have, after I destroyed your organization," Giovanni said. Matues chuckled again.
"Oh, Giovanni, we were never destroyed. We were just waiting in the shadows. Bidding our time to return, and with you out of the way, we can finally come out of the shadows," Matues said. Giovanni was stunned to hear his words.
"Waiting in the shadows? You mean you just waited all these years to come back out?" Giovanni asked.
"Exactly. I have planned our return very carefully. And then, at last opportunity has come when I brought Ganondorf and the rest of the Brotherhood of Darkness on your doorstep," Matues said.
"What?! That was your doing?!" Giovanni exclaimed barked.
"Indeed. I just gave Ganondorf simple instructions, and he came through for me. The Chaos Emeralds corrupting you made it even easier for them to control you. As well for me to control," Mateus said.
"How?! How did you do all that?!" Giovanni demanded.
"That is my secret," Mateus said. "I have seen men in power rise and fall in so many centuries." Giovanni was shocked to hear what he just said.
"What?! You lived for centuries?!" Giovanni asked.
"Indeed. I once ruled the most feared empire the world has ever known! And that is what I will recreate when I take the world for my own! Palamecia will rise again through my Team Shadow," Mateus stated. "And I will crush anyone who will oppose me; especially Sora Ketchum."
"You're insane!" Giovanni exclaimed.
"Does it really matter? Even if you could get out and form a new Team Rocket, you will fail because we have grown so much more powerful than before!" Mateus said, laughing as he took his leave. Once he had left, he teleported back to Team Shadow HQ before anyone could notice he was gone.
As for Giovanni, he was angered and shocked to hear that he was a pawn in Mateus's bidding. His partnership with Ganondorf and the Brotherhood of Darkness was orchestrated by him.
Back at the Clubslosion, Sora and Pignite were entering the battlefield along with Rydia and Goodra.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now down to the second to last battle! One the left, we have Sora Ketchum, Champion of the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh Pokémon Leagues against Rydia, the Dragon Princess!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"What we got here is a real clash of titans! Both trainers infamous reputations going up against one another! Only one of them will be walking off and right into the final round!" Don George announced. The crowd cheered hard as Pignite and Goodra enters the battlefield. Rydia shivered briefly before she took her deep breath.
"Okay Rydia, this is the match you knew was coming. I'll just have to get through this and not let my fear of fire get the better of me," Rydia said in her thoughts.
"Trainers, begin!" The referee called out.
"Okay Pignite! Power-Up Punch!" Sora ordered. Pignite heads right towards Goodra to land a punch.
"Aqua Tail!" Rydia ordered. Goodra uses Aqua Tail to block Pignite's punch. "Now use Body Press!"
"Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Pignite uses Flame Charge to dodge Goodra's Body Press.
"A close call for Pignite! That would have done some serious damage!" Don George announced.
"Pignite! Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Pignite unleashed Flamethrower right at the dragon Pokémon. Goodra got hit hard by Pignite's attack and then it resulted in a burn.
"Pignite has given Goodra a burn status!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Now that Goodra is feeling the burn, it'll chip away at Goodra's stamina!" Don George said.
"Power-Up Punch!" Sora ordered. Pignite lands a punch onto Goodra, raising his power. "Now use Flame Charge!" Pignite darts right at Goodra and lands a hit with Flame Charge, raising up Pignite's speed. Rydia was shivering at the sight of the flames coming from Pignite.
"No, no, no," Rydia said. "Can't let my fear get the best of me! Goodra! Use Dragon Pulse!" Rydia ordered. Goodra sends out Dragon Pulse to land a hit on the fire pig Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Pignite dodges Goodra's attack.
"Giga Impact!" Rydia ordered. Goodra jumps and comes at Pignite with Giga Impact.
"And here comes Goodra with Giga Impact! Quite impressive!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Pignite dodges Goodra's attack. "Now use Fire Pledge!" Pignite unleashed Fire Pledge and it surrounds Goodra like it did Scrafty, and explodes in a sea of flames. Rydia was paralyzed with fear as the flames subsided and Goodra is down and out.
"Goodra is unable to battle! Pignite wins! The winner is Sora!" The referee announced.
"And there you have it, Sora has taken down Rydia and moving on to the final battle against Riku!" Freddy O'Martian announced. Sora and Riku looked at each other and nodded. Don George stepped up.
"The final battle shall take place tomorrow morning! Both trainer and Pokémon should rest up for tomorrow!" Don George said.
After the battle, Rydia sat by herself as she reflects on what happened.
"I can't believe I let my fear get to me. I should have won it if I kept my cool. I was lucky against Benga and that Volcarona, but I don't think I'm going to get lucky again unless I get my fears under control," Rydia said to herself.
Later that night, Riku and Lampent were training hard for the upcoming battle with Sora.
"That Pignite is a tough cookie to break," Riku said. "We're going to try hard to win, so what do you say?"
"Pent," Lampent nodded.
"Vee," Eevee said.
Over to Sora, he, Pikachu, and Pignite were training just as hard.
"Okay, your Power-Up Punch won't touch Lampent, so you have Flamethrower, Flame Charge, and Fire Pledge," Sora said.
"Nite," Pignite said.
"Okay, let's do this!" Sora said. Pignite worked hard to get his game on with Lampent.
The day has finally come as the Clubsplosion has reached its final battle.
"And now, it is time for the final battle for this year's Clubsplosion Tournament! Going to Sora is the pig of burning passion, Pignite going up against the ghostly flaming lamp, Lampent and its trainer Riku!" Don George announced. "Both these young competitors have made it this far and only one of them is going to be bringing home the prize!" The crowd cheered as Sora and Riku nodded to each other.
"If memory serves, Sora and Riku battled before in the Club Battle Tournament in Nimbasa City, and it was Sora who emerged victorious in the match! Which one will win this year's Clubsplosion? Will it be Sora or Riku?" Freddy O'Martian asked.
"That is what we are about to find out!" Don George said.
"Go get him, Riku!" Naminé cheered for her boyfriend.
"Sora! Go for it!" Karen cheered for her brother.
"Pika!" Blossom added.
"You can take him again, Sora!" Kairi said.
"Vee!" Angel said.
"Trainers, begin!" The referee called out.
"Pignite! Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Pignite ran towards Lampent with Flame Charge.
"Dodge and use Shadow Ball!" Riku ordered. Lampent dodges Pignite's attack and fires Shadow Ball right at Pignite.
"Sora has a shaky start with that Shadow Ball thrown at him! How will he recover?" Freddy O'Martian asked.
"Pignite! Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Pignite charges right at Lampent with Flame Charge.
"Use Psychic!" Riku ordered. Lampent grabs Pignite with Psychic and slams the fire pig Pokémon on the ground. "Now, use Flame Burst!" Lampent unleashed Flame Burst and it deals some heavy damage onto him.
"Pignite has definitely felt that hit! Even for a Fire Type like Pignite, Lampent is proving to be too hot to handle!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Pignite! Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Pignite unleashed Flamethrower right at Lampent.
"You use Flamethrower, Lampent!" Riku ordered. Lampent unleashed Flamethrower right at Pignite's Flamethrower and the two flames collides with each other. They held on and it resulted in an explosion. Both Pignite and Lampent has taken some damage from those hits.
"Pignite and Lampent has taken some considerable amount of damage from those collision Flamethrower attacks!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"It's a sign that not one of them is willing to call it quits!" Don George said.
"Can't use Fire Pledge yet, it's too soon. I'll have to use it when it becomes a real emergency. Pignite! Flamethrower again!" Sora ordered. Pignite fires Flamethrower once again.
"Lampent! Use Psychic!" Riku ordered. Lampent uses Psychic to block Pignite's Flamethrower and send it right back at the fire pig Pokémon, dealing some heavy damage. "Now, use Shadow Ball!" Lampent forms Shadow Ball and sends it right at Pignite, dealing some more damage.
"Lampent is making good work of its opponent! It's not giving Pignite a chance to fight back much!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Pignite! Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Pignite ran towards Lampent with Flame Charge. Riku saw that coming a mile away.
"Lampent! Psychic!" Riku ordered. Lampent uses Psychic to lift up Pignite up in the air. "Send him down!" Lampent slams Pignite on the ground hard.
"It looks like it's all over," Freddy O'Martian announced. Pignite barely gets back up on his feet. "Wait a minute, ladies and gentlemen! Pignite is getting back up!"
"Pignite is refusing to call it quits! I have never seen so much determination in a Fire and Fighting Type Pokémon before," Don George said.
"Not bad, Sora. You never did know when to quit. Then again, neither did I," Riku said. "Lampent! Shadow Ball!" Lampent unleashed Shadow Ball right at Pignite, hoping to finish Pignite off.
"Pignite! Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Pignite fires Flamethrower and it ovwrpowers Shadow Ball and lands a hit on the lamp Pokémon.
"Sora is now placing Riku in a corner with Flamethrower! Talking about a clash of power between the two if them!" Don George announced.
Everyone was going wild over the battle between Sora and Riku. They were hoping that the battle between them would go on forever. Karen was mostly amazed by how the battle was going. Not one of them was going to accept defeat as an option. Kairi and Naminé were anxious to see the battle end.
"This battle is fun, but we both know it's gotta end sometime!" Riku said.
"How right you are," Sora agreed. "All these people all came here for a show, so let's give them a show to remember!" Sora said.
"You read my mind!" Riku said.
"Fire Pledge now!" Sora ordered. Pignite unleashed Fire Pledge and it heads right towards Lampent.
"Get ready!" Riku said. The flames quuckly surrounds Lampent.
"Fire Pledge is now in effect! This could be all over for Lampent!" Don George announced. The flames subsided as Sora was shocked to see Lampent was still floating. Lampent used Psychic around himself to block out Pignite's Fire Pledge.
"No way!" Sora exclaimed.
"I don't believe it! Lampent uses Psychic to block Pignite's Fire Pledge!" Freddy O'Martian announced. Pignite was panting heavily as was Lampent. Lampent has used a lot of energy to use Psychic to block Fire Pledge as Pignite has used up a lot of energy using Fire Pledge.
"I can say this, both Pokémon are worn out from the barrage of attacks they were dishing out!" Don George announced.
"Lampent! Shadow Ball!" Riku ordered.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Pignite tried to dodge, but he got hit. Pignite was too tired to dodge, so Pignite was taken down.
"Pignite is unable to battle! Lampent wins! The winner of the battle and the Clubsplosion Tournament is Riku!" The referee announced.
"Riku has eliminated Sora and took his spot in first place!" Freddy O'Martian announced. The crowd cheered for both of Sora and Riku for their win, but no one more than Kairi and Naminé.
"Sora lost," Ventus said.
"Pika," Sparky said.
"He did his best, Ven. That's all that matters," Terra said.
"He's right. Just be proud of your cousin," Aqua said.
"Pikachu!" Thor said.
"Pikachu!" Eclair said.
Sora and Riku both shook hands for the battle they had.
"Gotta hand it to you, Riku, that was a fun battle," Sora said.
"Thanks. I enjoyed it just as much as you did," Riku said.
"And it looks like the rivalry between the two is just as strong as ever," Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Indeed. Those two gave it their all and gave the crowd a battle worth remembering," Don George added.
Riku held up his prize as the crowd cheered.
"As promised, a year supply of Pokémon vitamin drinks to Riku," Freddy O'Martian announced.
"Now let's all hear it for Riku and Lampent!" Don George announced as the crowd cheered hard for Riku.
"Thanks," Riku said.
As the tournament has reached its conclusion, everyone all gets ready to take off.
"So, Sora, Kairi, where to next?" Naminé asked.
"Off to Iccirus City. That's the sight for Kairi's next Contest and my next Gym battle," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Cilan, the next time you see me, I'll be an A Class Connisseur, just like you," Burgundy said. Cilan smiled.
"Good, I'm already looking forward to it," Cilan said. Burgundy sighed.
"When will you drop that smug attitude?" Burgundy asked.
"Say, Iris, when are you going to be a Dragon Master so I can beat you?" Georgia asked.
"It'll take some time," Iris said.
"Anyway, good luck in the Contest, Kairi. And say hi to Hector when you see him," Hilda said.
"I will," Kairi said.
"Well, later losers" Georgia said.
"Sora, I was looking forward to our rematch, but that'll be on hold until next time," Stephan said .
"I'll hold you up to that, Stephan," Sora said.
Before you knew it they all started to go their seperate ways. The chance for Sora to win his Gym battle, and Kairi's next Contest is just around the corner, so who knows what kind of adventure Sora, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, and Axew will all have with the addition of Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair? Just wait and see.