Episode 479: Dragon Brawl
After staying the night at the Village of Dragons, Sora, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Axew, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair were near Opelucid City for Sora's ninth Gym battle against the Opelucid City Gym Leader Drayden. It is the first Dragon Type Gym he had challenged since be battled the Blackthron City Gym Leader Clair and earned the Rising Badge. He knew ahead of time even with Ice Type Pokémon, defeating a Dragon Type will not be easy, especially when they were trained by a Gym Leader; but he had to try. Sora figured he would he in a three-on-three battle, so he exchanged Emboar for Fraxure. Kairi has exchanged Swanna for Woobat.
"Iris, you battled him before, which Pokémon you think he might send after me?" Sora asked.
"The most likely one would be his Haxorus. The same Haxorus he used to beat my Druddigon," Iris said. "But he might save that one for last since it's an official Gym battle."
"If I remember right, that battle was when your Druddigon stopped listening to you, right?" Terra asked.
"Yeah. It was thanks to you guys that Druddigon is listening to me again," Iris said. "Still."
"You're still not worried about what happened by then, are you? Drayden did tell you it was his idea for you to go on a journey," Ventus said.
"You're right, he did, but still..." Iris said.
"Some fears are not easily conquered. You remember Rydia and her fear of fire, don't you?" Cilan asked.
"How could I forget? I would be scared of fire, too, if I was almost burned into a crisp," Meowth said.
"But I have to say, this city is nice. It's no Village of Dragons, but it's still nice," Karen said.
Just when they were walking down the street, they noticed a couple of kids walking by and wearing some sort of uniform.
"Are those two getting back from school?" Sora asked.
"Yeah. Those are students of the Opelucid Academy," Iris said. She led her friends down to the academy. They were amazed that Iris would go to such a school. "And here we are, Opelucid Academy; this is where students learn all about Pokémon Types. The correculum here is super-intense."
"I heard talented trainers from all over the Unova region attend here," Cilan said. "This school has a great reputation."
"They should be. Drayden's not just the Gym Leader and the mayor, but he's also the academy's headmaster. He personally invites every talented trainer to come here," Iris said.
"No offense, but I find hard to believe that you would attend a school like this," Karen said.
"No offense taken," Iris said. Iris started to remember some things from her past, and her fears started to come back to her. "I can't take this!"
"Can't take what?" Sora asked. Iris ran off. "Iris, where are you going?" She ran towards the local tower and started to climb up.
They tried to keep up with her, but she went too fast for them to catch up.
"She's so fast," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"What has gotten into her?" Aqua asked.
"She knows Drayden wasn't angry at her, so what gives?" Terra asked.
Sirens are heard when Officer Jenny drives by the group.
"I heard someone's doing something really dangerous," one man said.
"Yeah, I heard it's a girl," another man said.
That hits them when they realized who it was and what she was up to.
"You don't think-?" Ventus asked.
"That's it's Iris climbing up that tower, then that'll be a big yeah," Sora said.
"Why would she do something like that?" Meowth asked.
"I don't know, but we'll have to get her down before she becomes street pizza," Sora said.
Up at the tower, Iris sighed as she and Axew felt the breeze.
"You see? The air's much fresher up here," Iris said.
"Axew-ew!" Axew said.
Iris stares right at the mountains in the distance as the wind blows in her hair. She took a deep breath.
"I'm okay now," Iris said. She felt so much better until the moment was interrupted by the sound of someone's voice through a megaphone.
"You are not allowed up there without proper authorization!" Iris looked down and sees Officer Jenny holding the megaphone. "Come down here at once!" Just then Sora, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair came to the scene.
"Iris! What are you doing up there?! Are you crazy?!" Sora yelled up the tower.
"Iris? Not her again!" Officer Jenny groaned.
"You mean she did this before?" Kairi asked, surprised.
"Unfortunately yes," Officer Jenny said.
"Looks like I'm toast," Iris said. She yelled back down. "I'll be down in a jiffy!" Iris climbed down as she sheepishly chuckled as Officer Jenny didn't find it the least bit amusing. She was in the earful of her life.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Climbing that tower isn't just dangerous, but it's also stupid! What if you fell off and died?" Officer Jenny scolded Iris. She looked down at the ground. "Are you listening?!" Iris snapped out of it.
"Yes, I'm listening," Iris said.
"Don't ever do that again! Is that understood?!" Officer asked.
"Yes," Iris said.
Just then, an elderly woman was walking by and she smiled when she saw Iris.
"Is that you, Iris?" The elderly woman asked. Iris turned to see the woman. The woman's face lit up. "My goodness! It is you! I thought it had to be you!"
"Martha!" Iris exclaimed happily.
"It has been so long since I have seen you," Martha said.
"Someone you know, Iris?" Kairi asked.
"Yes. This is Martha. Martha, meet my friends. This is Sora along with his girlfriend Kairi, his twin sister Karen, and his cousin Ventus, but we call him Ven. This is Terra, and his girlfriend Aqua. And this is Cilan, he's a Pokémon Connoisseur," Iris introduced her friends.
"It's nice to meet you all," Martha said.
"Iris has been traveling with us ever since we got here," Sora said.
"I see," Martha said. She led the group to the academy's grounds.
"Just how exactly do you and she know each other, Iris?" Sora asked.
"Martha was my dorm advisor. She kept an eye on the girl's dorms. Martha's the best," Iris said.
"Iris was the most troublesome student this academy has ever seen," Martha said. "Have any of you have lunch yet? You should eat before you go over to the Gym."
"Not a bad idea, cause I'm starting to get hungry," Ventus said.
"How did you know we were going to the Gym?" Sora asked.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.
"I heard someone was going over to the Gym today, and that someone has eight Gym Badges already," Martha said.
"That'll be me," Sora said.
The group saw Drayden standing at the academy's doors. He walked over to the group.
"I heard what happened. Have you calmed down?" Drayden asked.
"Yes," Iris replied.
"Good," Drayden said. He turned to Sora. "I hope you don't mind, Sora, but I have an important meeting to attend to. We will have our battle as soon as I am finished."
"There's no rush, Drayden," Sora said.
"I suggest that you have some lunch. I will come and get you as soon after the meeting," Drayden said. He took off to the meeting as Martha led the group to the messhall. They were presented some sandwiches as Martha has brought Iris some Oran Berries and Pecha Berries on sticks. They were styled in shish kebab.
"Here you go," Martha said.
"Wow! You remembered my favorite meal!" Iris said. "Earing these always made me feel so much better!" Iris said.
"Just what exactly were you studying when you got here?" Ventus asked. Iris turned to her. "I would think you were studying Dragon Type Pokémon." Iris sighed sadly.
"I really don't like thinking about those bad memories to tell the truth," Iris said. "You remember my battle with Drayden, right?"
"That's right, that was when Druddigon stopped listening to you," Aqua said.
"Yeah," Iris answered. She started to explain her story. "After that battle, the elder came to me, and she suggested that I attend the academy. It sounded fun at the time, because I wanted to know what I can about Dragon Type Pokémon. So, I left the Village of Dragons, and enrolled in the Dragon Type courses offered at the academy. But when I got there, there was one problem. I never seen a textbook in my life, and I had no idea how to study or anything. Fitting in was really tough. I tried to get the other kids to play, but no one played or had fun, just like the kids in the Village of Dragons. Everybody was always busy all the time, I couldn't make any friends."
"They were trying to fit in the way they knew how," Martha said. "None of the students used their own Pokémon, they used the Pokémon trained by the academy. That's why they seem standoffish. They were trying to adjust to that."
"It must be hard to fit in with kids who weren't interested in playing," Ventus said. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to play with the other kids."
"There are schools that can be strict when it came to studies," Terra said.
"That's true, Terra. But I agree with what Ven said. Competing, learning, and playing together are the spices of life. And without spice in their lives, their school life would be tasteless and blend," Cilan said.
"So, that's basically what happened. I got so lonely, I stopped eating," Iris said, taking a bite of her meal.
"I thought if I made this, it'll cheer her up," Martha said.
"Yeah, that's exactly what this yummy dish did," Iris said. She took another bite. "It's so good!" She took another bite. After lunch, Martha gave the group a tour of the academy. She led them to Iris's rooms in one of the buildings of the girl's dormitories. Iris went up to the door to one of the rooms. "Right here! This used to be my dorm room!" She opened the door. Iris was happy to see the room has been left unchanged. She saw some drawings on the walls.
"This room is currently empty," Martha said.
Iris went over to the wall drawings and placed her hand on the one being a Druddigon.
"Axew," Axew said.
"Iris here was the only student who has ever drew on the walls," Martha said.
"I'm sorry, Martha," Iris apologized as she blushed.
"Those are the Pokémon from the Village of Dragons," Sora said pointed out.
"And that's got to be the tower," Karen said.
"Pika, Pika," Blossom said.
"Right. It's a great view from here," Iris said. "Thanks to Martha, I was eating again, but I was still feeling lonely. I have been getting letters and photos from home. They smelled like home. I thought to myself maybe if I climbed up to the top of the tower, I would see the Village of Dragons from up there. The air there was always so fresh. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see home."
"The climbing incident was a first for the academy. Everyone including Drayden was really surprised," Martha said.
"Officer Jenny gave me a real good scolding," Iris said sheepishly. "But I kept doing it without anyone knowing about it."
"That explains why Officer Jenny wasn't surprised when Sora called out to her," Aqua said.
"Pika," Eclair said.
"And why Drayden wasn't surprised when he said he heard about it," Kairi added.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"I can understand why though. The fresh air up there reminded you of home and calmed you down," Cilan said.
"That does explain you climbed up the tower earlier," Sora said.
"I never fit in here," Iris said. "I knew that all along. I did the best I could. I tried really, really hard. And then one day, there was a battle in my Pokémon battle class that changed everything. I used a Fraxure while another student used an Altaria. I kept Fraxure to keep attacking until it lands a hit. But no matter what I did, I couldn't land a single hit, and I failed to notice how Fraxure was tired, so I lost. Drayden came up to me and explained why I lost. He also said, Pokémon don't always do what you want them to do. And he was right. I wasn't trying to communicate with Fraxure, so that's what I did wrong. I wanted to be as good as everyone else. I was falling behind, so I needed to catch up as fast as I could. And so I left. I had no idea Drayden suggested that I go on my journey at the time. I thought I did that on my own. The elder understood my situation. I came back to the Village of Dragons for a while, right up until I went on my journey with Axew. And you know the rest." The group stepped out on the academy grounds as Iris recognized one of the Fraxure. She explained that it was the same one she used in the practice battle. "Fraxure, I'm so happy to see you." She hugs Fraxure. "You remember when we battled together in class?"
"Xure," Fraxure said.
"I'm sorry I didn't understand what you have been feeling before," Iris said.
"Frax," Fraxure said.
"Look at that. Fraxure just said it's alright," Meowth said.
"That's really touching," Cilan said.
"It sure is," Kairi said.
"Vee," Angel said.
Drayden sees the scene and he nodded to see how much Iris has really grown. Sora turned to see Drayden coming towards the group.
"You been there long?" Sora asked. Everyone else all turned to Drayden.
"Yes. Are you ready to go, Sora?" Drayden asked.
"I'm ready when you are," Sora said.
Drayden led Sora, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Axew, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair to the Opelucid City Gym as Drayden and Sora each took their positions. The referee stepped in.
"The battle between the Opelucid City Gym Leader Drayden and the challenger Sora from Pallet Town is about to begin! Both trainers will be using three Pokémon each! The battle is over when all three of either one trainer's Pokémon are unable to continue battling! Furthermore, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon anytime! Now begin!" Drayden took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Fraxure!" Drayden called out. A Fraxure came out to battle. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"You're up first, Cryogonal!" Sora called out. Cryogonal came on out to battle.
"A Cryogonal. So you have prepared with an Ice Type Pokémon. That is an impressive strategy and a wise choice. Will it be enough?" Drayden asked.
"You're about to see, Drayden! Cryogonal! Start things up with Ice Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fires Ice Beam right at his target.
"Dodge and use Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Fraxure dodges and ran towards the crystallizing Pokémon with Rock Smash. Fraxure lands a hit onto him, dealing some heavy damage.
"That has got to be Drayden's strategy for dealing with Ice Type Pokémon," Cilan said.
"Sora isn't the only one who came prepared," Terra said.
"Cryogonal! Use Aurora Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fires Aurora Beam right at Fraxure.
"Dodge!" Drayden called out. Fraxure dodges Cryogonal's Aurora Beam. "Fraxure keeps on moving around. Gotta slow it down somehow. He then thought of something. "Maybe if I freeze the floor." Drayden was curious about what Sora intends to do. "Cryogonal! Use Ice Beam on the ground!" Cryogonal fires Ice Beam fires it right on the ground.
"Dodge that!" Drayden called out. Fraxure dodged Cryogonal's Ice Beam, and kept on dodging until it got on the icy floor. Fraxure couldn't keep its balance.
"Gotcha! Ice Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fires Ice Beam, landing a hit onto the axe jaw Pokémon. Fraxure was down, but not out.
"Freezing the floor to cut Fraxure's speed with an excellent idea. You have done well to make it this far. Fraxure! Use Rock Smash on the ground. Fraxure slams it's fist on the ground, shattering the ice.
"Okay, Drayden's not going to be fooled again with that trick, so I'll have to rethink my plan," Sora said. "Okay, Cryogonal! Recover!" Cryogonal heals himself from his injuries. "Now, use Frost Breath!" Cryogonal unleashed Frost Breath right at the axe jaw Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Fraxure got close to Cryogonal as Cryogonal didn't dodge, but instead, fired Frost Breath, causing some heavy damage.
"Cryogonal has landed another hit!" Meowth said.
"Frost Breath always scores a critical hit when it lands a hit, unless the opponent has Shell Armor," Cilan said.
"Sora just has to keep it up," Karen said.
"Yes, he has," Drayden said in his thoughts. "I wonder if he shall battle the same way as he has yesterday."
"Okay, Cryogonal! Aurora Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fired Aurora Beam right at Fraxure.
"Dodge and use Dragon Rush!" Drayden ordered. Fraxure came at the crystallizing Pokémon with Dragon Rush.
"Dodge and use Ice Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal dodged and fires another Ice Beam, freezing Fraxure in place.
"That's the way, Sora!" Iris cheered.
"Ice Beam again!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fired another Ice Beam, landing another hit onto Fraxure. The attack results in a knockout.
"Fraxure is unable to battle! Cryogonal wins!" The referee announced. Drayden calls Fraxure back.
"Rest. You have earned it," Drayden said. "That was very impressive, Sora. Your battling skills are just as impressive as I have witnessed it."
"Thanks. You were no pushover either," Sora said.
"Now, it is time for my second Pokémon!" Drayden said, taking out another Pokéball. He throws it. "Go! Druddigon!" His Druddigon came out to battle. Sora calls Cryogonal back for now.
"Better play it safe and switch Pokémon," Sora said. He took out Beartic's Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Beartic!" Beartic came out to battle against Drayden.
"So, it's a Beartic. Judging how your Beartic looks, you have raised your Beartic well. Let's continue this! Druddigon! Flash Cannon!" Drayden ordered. Druddigon fires Flash Cannon right at the polar bear Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Ice Punch!" Sora ordered. Beartic lands an icy punch onto Druddigon. Beartic's paw felt sore and he rubs it.
"What was that?" Karen asked.
"It's Rough Skin. It takes affect when the attacker makes physical contact during battle," Cilan said.
"Druddigon! Use Revenge!" Drayden ordered. Druddigon came at Beartic and lands a blow onto Beartic.
"Use Icicle Crash!" Sora ordered. Beartic unleashed Icicle Crash right at the cave Pokémon.
"Dodge!" Drayden called out. Druddigon dodges Beartic's Icicle Crash by moving to the right. "Now use Dragon Tail!" Druddigon swings its tail at Beartic.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Beartic dodges Dragon Tail. "Now use Frost Breath!" Beartic unleashed Frost Breath, landing a hit onto Druddigon. "Now use Night Slash!" Beartic slashed right at Druddigon. Beartic received additional damage due to Druddigon's Rough Skin.
"Druddigon! Use Flash Cannon!" Drayden ordered. Druddigon fires Flash Cannon right at the polar bear Pokémon.
"Beartic! Icicle Crash!" Sora ordered. Beartic unleashed Icicle Crash to block the attack. Icicles came crashing down. Some of the icicles were shattered when Flash Cannon struck.
"Using Icicle Crash to block Druddigon's Flash Cannon is genius," Drayden said in his thoughts. "Now to see what else he has to offer." He called out loud, "Druddigon! Dragon Tail!" Druddigon came at Beartic with Dragon Tail.
"Dodge and use Night Slash!" Sora ordered. Beartic dodged and slashed right at Druddigon. Beartic felt that again. "If this keeps up, Beartic is going to have sore paws for a week. Beartic! Frost Breath!" Beartic spews Frost Breath from his mouth.
"Dodge it!" Drayden called out.
"Keep track on it!" Sora called out. Beartic aimed Frost Breath right at Druddigon, preventing it from getting away. Frost Breath eventually lands a hit onto the cave Pokémon. It does heavy damage due to its weakness to Ice Type moves. "Keep it up, Beartic! Ice Punch!"
"Druddigon! Use Revenge!" Drayden ordered. Druddigon came at Beartic as Beartic came at Druddigon. Both lands a hit onto each other. They both started at each other, panting until Druddigon fell on its back, beaten.
"Druddigon is unable to battle! Beartic wins!" The referee announced. Drayden calls back Druddigon as Kairi, Ventus, and Karen cheered for Sora.
"Well done, Sora. You have defeated two of my Pokémon. Many of my challengers had so much difficulty against my Druddigon. In fact, they would end up being defeated whenever they faced Druddigon, but my third and final Pokémon shall prove to be the most challenging." He took out his third Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Haxorus!" His Haxorus came right out and let out a loud and mighty roar upon entry. Sora smirked when he saw the axe jaw Pokémon.
"Iris did say he would save his Haxorus for last," Sora said as he looked right at Beartic. "And Beartic has taken loads of damage against Druddigon. I should switch back with Cryogonal just to make sure." Sora took out Beartic's Pokéball and called Beartic back. He threw Cryogonal's Pokéball. "Cryogonal! Back to action!" Cryogonal came back out to battle.
"I knew he was saving Haxorus for last," Iris said.
"That Haxorus looks so strong. It's no wonder your Druddigon lost to him," Kairi said.
"He and Drayden both," Iris said. "Even with Ice Type Pokémon, Sora isn't going to find it easy."
"I agree," Cilan said. "Seeing Haxorus and Drayden together like this, they're a recipe for raw power," Cilan said.
"Okay, Cryogonal! Use Ice Beam!" Sora ordered. Cryogonal fired Ice Beam right at Haxorus.
"Alright, Haxorus! Use Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus swung his bladed tusks and lands a hit with Rock Smash. "Use Giga Impact!" Haxorus's body becomes surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appears in front of his face and he faces Cryogonal. He then shoots himself at the crystallizing Pokémon and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around him appear around Haxorus's body and he slams into Cryogonal with great force. This results in a knockout.
"Cryogonal is unable to battle! Haxorus wins!" The referee announced. Sora calls back Cryogonal and sighed.
"I knew Haxorus is tough, but way tougher than Iris said he was. It's no wonder she lost to him," Sora said, taking out Beartic's Pokéball and threw it. "Beartic! Back to action!" Beartic came on out to battle. "I don't expect Beartic to win, but I expect him to soften him up a bit. "Okay, Haxorus can't attack again after using Giga Impact, so use Ice Punch!" Beartic lands an icy punch onto Haxorus. "Now, use Frost Breath!" Beartic fires Frost Breath, hitting Haxorus on the mark.
"Haxorus! Use Breaking Swipe!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus swings his tail and lands a hit onto Beartic, landing a strong hit. "Now, use Dragon Claw!" Haxorus swipes his claws at Beartic, dealing some damage.
"He's really giving it to him," Meowth said.
"What is he trying to do?" Karen asked.
"I think he's trying to get Haxorus exhausted," Cilan said. "He doesn't expect Beartic to win the battle, so he's attempting to get Haxorus use up some energy."
"Beartic! Icicle Crash!" Sora ordered. Beartic unleashed Icicle Crash right at Haxorus.
"Dodge and use Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus avoids Beartic's attack and slams the polar bear Pokémon with his axe tusks. "Use Giga Impact!" Haxorus's body becomes surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appears in front of his face and hefaces Beartic. He then shoots himself at Beartic and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around it appear around Haxorus's body and heads towards Beartic with great force.
"Dodge it, Beartic!" Sora called out. Beartic dodged Haxorus's attack. "Ice Punch!" Beartic lands an Ice Punch onto Haxorus, dealing some damage. "Now use Night Slash!" Beartic swipes his claws at Haxorus with Night Slash. Haxorus pushes Beartic off.
"Haxorus! Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus slammed into Beartic with Rock Smash. "Now, use Breaking Swipe!" Haxorus swings his tail at Beartic, dealing some damage. "Giga Impact!" Haxorus's body becomes surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appears in front of its face and he faces Beartic. He then shoots himself at the opponent and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around him appear around Haxorus's body and he slams into Beartic with great force. Beartic goes down for the count as Haxorus starts panting.
"Beartic is unable to battle! Haxorus wins!" The referee announced.
"Now both are down to one Pokémon," Ventus said.
"And I'm going to guess it could be anyone's battle beyond this point," Meowth said.
"That depends on what Sora has next," Cilan said.
Sora called back Beartic and he smiled.
"You did great, Beartic. You tired him out like I wanted you to," Sora said. "Now, get some rest."
"Sora," Drayden called out to his opponent. Sora looked right at Drayden. "You have battled well. It is up to you if you wish to continue this."
"I came too far just to call it quits," Sora said.
"I was hoping you would say that," Drayden said. "Now, your final Pokémon! Show it to me!"
"You got it," Sora said, taking out Fraxure's Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Fraxure!" His Fraxure came on out to battle his evolved form. Axew was starting to get more excited, seeing his two evolved forms go at it.
"Sora had saved Fraxure for last like Drayden did Haxorus," Kairi said.
"Isn't Fraxure at a disadvantage since he's going up against his evolved form?" Karen asked.
"Most cases, yes. But you should remember that Dragon Type Pokémon are also weak against their own Types," Terra said.
"It's been a while since I seen this," Ventus said. Iris turned to Ventus.
"What do you mean, Ven?" Iris asked.
"I saw two Pokémon go at it when they're on the same evolution line. It was Sora's Buizel against a Floatzel. That Floatzel belonged to the Gym Leader of the Pastoria City Gym Crasher Wake. That Floatzel was awesomely strong, but Buizel took him down after a hard battle. And that was when Sora's Buizel evolved into a Floatzel," Ventus said.
"And it looks like history repeats itself," Terra said.
"I wonder if it'll be different this time," Aqua said.
"Fraxure! Dragon Claw!" Sora ordered. Fraxure ran towards Haxorus with Dragon Claw.
"Use your Dragon Claw!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus came at Fraxure with his own Dragon Claw. Both landed a hit onto each other, landing some heavy damage to each other. They skid across the battlefield, facing each other. Drayden looked right at Fraxure, and he communicated with him in a way only a Dragon Master would do.
"You are strong. You want to prove yourself how strong you really are. I understand," Drayden said in his thoughts. He looked right at Haxorus and he understood what Fraxure wants to accomplish.
"Fraxure! Dual Chop!" Sora ordered. Fraxure went towards Haxorus with Dual Chop ready to go.
"Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus came right at Fraxure and they clashed right at each other. They locked onto each other until they both broke away. Fraxure attempts to give Haxorus a hit with Dual Chop, but Haxorus grabbed Fraxure and tossed to the wall. Drayden and Haxorus thought it would be too soon for the battle to be over as Fraxure stood back up. "Fraxure wants to keep going."
"Fraxure really wants to stay in this," Karen said.
"Sora's Fraxure has some spice, and I can tell Haxorus respects Fraxure for it," Cilan said.
"I think you're right," Terra agreed. "It looks like he could see the spirit in Fraxure."
"Okay, Fraxure! Use Crunch!" Sora ordered.
"Rock Smash!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus came at Fraxure as he came at Haxorus. Haxorus missed and Fraxure lands a Crunch onto Haxorus's arm.
"Now, use Dual Chop!" Sora ordered. Fraxure lands a couple of hits with Dual Chop. "Now, use Dragon Claw!" Fraxure slashed Haxorus with Dragon Claw.
"Haxorus! Use Dragon Claw!" Drayden ordered. Haxorus swung his claws at Faxure, returning the favor. "You battled hard, Sora, but this battle must come to an end! Use Giga Impact!" Haxorus's body becomes surrounded in an invisible energy. A bright flash of yellow light appears in front of his face and he faces the opponent. He then shoots himself at Fraxure and an orb of light purple energy with spiraling light yellow streaks around him appear around Haxorus's body and he heads towards Fraxure with great force.
"Dodge it quickly!" Sora called out. Fraxure barley dodged Giga Impact, so he turned around to face his evolved form. "Use Dual Chop!" Fraxure came at Haxorus and ands a couple of chops with Dual Chop "Now use Dragon Claw!" Fraxure slashed right at Haxorus. Fraxure panted so much as did Haxorus. They were tired from the battle, so they stared right at each other. Haxorus smiled a bit before he fell on his stomach, resulting in a knockout.
"Haxorus is unable to battle! Fraxure wins! The winner of the battle is Sora!" The referee announced. Drayden called Haxorus as he shuts his eyes before he opened them again.
"You battled well, Haxorus. You have earned a good long rest," Drayden said. Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Iris, Angel, Meowth, Axew, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair went up to Sora and they were thrilled that Sora had won it, Iris especially. She had her doubts, but she couldn't be happy to be wrong. Drayden approached Sora. "Very impressive battle, young man. My Pokémon and I hadn't had such a legendary battle like that in a long time. And as proof you have defeated the Gym Leader of the Opelucid Gym, I'll present you the Legend Badge." Drayden presents Sora a badge that is shaped like a dragon's head with the snout pointing downwards, a medieval mace, or a dragon's wing when stretched out. Sora accepts it.
"Thank you, Drayden," Sora said, accepting the Gym Badge.
"If you wish to continue, I should suggest that you have a look in the Gym in Humilau City," Drayden said. This surprises Sora and Kairi.
"Humilau City? That means Marlon is there?" Sora asked. Cilan looked right at Sora.
"Marlon?" Cilan asked. "Is he someone you know?" Cilan asked.
"Yeah. Marlon is the Humilau City Gym Leader," Sora said.
"How do you know him?" Iris asked.
"Sora, Lillie, our other friends, and I met Marlon back in the Whirl Islands in the Johto region. That is where the Whirl Cup was being held at the time," Kairi said.
"The Whirl Cup?" Karen asked.
"The Whirl Cup is a tournament that the participating trainers uses Water Type Pokémon. It takes place once every three years. Sora, Marlon, and our friend Lana were taking part in it. Sora and Marlon faced off in the final round, and Sora won," Kairi concluded.
"Must she bring that up?" Meowth asked, remembering how Jessie wanted that Sea Spirit for herself, and had to work to raise money for their debts.
"Humilau City is our next stop," Sora said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.
"Since you're heading to Humilau City, I thought I should interest you to know that's where the next Pokémon Contest is being held," Drayden said. "And one of the judges will be Marlon."
"It looks like my next Gym battle will have to wait until after the Contest," Sora said. Kairi giggled.
"I thought you would put my Contest before your Gym battle," Kairi said. Kairi was really glad that Sora is a considerate boyfriend.
"Since Sora and Kairi will be in great shape for Humilau City, we can root for you both! Right Axew!" Iris asked.
"Axew!" Axew said.
"There is one more thing to discuss. There is something I want to ask Iris," Drayden said. Iris was surprised to hear what Drayden wanted to ask.
"What?" Iris asked.
"I have been considering to ask if you would like to take over as Gym Leader," Drayden said. Iris was even more surprised to hear he wants Iris to take over the Gym for him. The rest of the group were also surprised.
"Me?" Iris asked.
"Of course. You don't have to answer right away," Drayden said. "If you feel you need time to think it over, then I will respect your decision. For now continue your journey." Iris looked right at her friends as Sora nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Drayden. I'm flattered and honored that you would recommend me as Gym Leader. And I appreciate the offer," Iris said.
"Before you go, I suggest you visit the Pokémon Center and have your Pokémon healed," Drayden said.
"I'll do that, and thanks for the battle," Sora said.
With that said, Sora, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Axew, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair all headed for the Pokémon Center to have Cryogonal, Beartic, and Fraxure healed from their injuries. And now that the destination has been set for Humilau City, Sora and Kairi each had one more challenge to go on, and it is just around the corner, so stay tuned.