Episode 79: Departing For Johto
A few days have passed since Sora has caught Mewtwo. The party in Sora's honor. Most of Sora's Pokémon were celebrating as well as Artucuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo is resting in their balls.
The people of Pallet Town gathered around in Sora's honor.
"We all have gathered here to honor young Sora here for coming in first in the recent Pokémon League competition, placed in the hall of fame, and bringing pride to Pallet Town!" Professor Oak announced.
"And we should thank Professor Oak for throwing this party in Sora's honor!" Delia said.
Let's all raise a glass for Sora!" Professor Oak announced.
"Here, here!" Everyone all said, raising a glass.
Team Rocket has set up a food stand just to trap Pikachu and give him to Giovanni have their debts resolved once for all.
"This plan is sure to work for sure!" James said, chuckling.
"With all this food ready, we can lure him here like a Teddiursa over to honey," Meowth said.
"Now to prepare the sauces to spice things up! Here I brought is some hot sauce mixed up with ghost pepper, tabasco, and jalapeños!" Jessie said.
"I brought is some molten lava hot mustard!" James said, smearing some hot mustard on some of the food.
"And I brought some wasabi sauce! The perfect recipe for success-ipe!" Meowth said, pouring some wasabi sauce.
"There!" Team Rocket said as Sora's Snorlax came at wolfed down all the food they were going to eat before they could spice things up.
"No! Those aren't for you!" Jessie yelled. Snorlax gave off a loud burp. "How dare you gorge it all down before we could get to our evil scheme!" Jessie yelled, throwing a tray at it. Snorlax was struck, but Snorlax gave an Ice Punch onto Team Rocket, making them scream, and flying in the air.
"You and your temper!" Meowth exclaimed. Jessie growled in anger.
"Hey, shut up!" Jessie hissed.
"But at least we didn't go out on a bang this time," James said.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Team Rocket shouted. A star twinkles in the distance.
As the party went on, Sora came across his relatives.
"Sora, hello," Cattleya said. Sora smiled and hugged his aunt. She hugged him back.
"Hi, aunt Cattleya," Sora greeted. He saw Yuki in the baby stroller. "Hey, Yuki. Was looking forward to meet you." He made some funny sounds, making the baby laugh. Karen came right at her little cousin and she gave Yuki a raspberry on her belly, making her laugh. Kairi smiled at the sight of her boyfriend and his sister with their new cousin.
Over to Team Rocket, they go flying right in the Johto region and landed right in the middle of the forest. A flock of Pidgey flew out of the tree along with an avian Pokémon that resembles an owl with a round body. Most of its feathers are brown, but its belly is cream-colored. It has large, red eyes; a small, pinkish beak; stubby wings; and a fan-like tail with three feathers. Encircling its eyes are black rings; the lower rims of the ring have three protrusions that resemble the teeth on a gear while the upper rims have extensions that resemble the hands of a clock. This Pokémon is known as Hoothoot. The owl-like Pokémon then starts pecking at Team Rocket.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Team Rocket yelped.
"Cut it out!" James yelled.
"Watch that beak!" Jessie yelled.
"Don't peck out my eyes!" Meowth yelled. They fell from the tree, startling a round, pink Pokémon with long green leaves growing on top of its head. The leaves on its head have ragged edges, similar to a dandelion. It has big, triangular ears with dark insides and beady yellow eyes that lack pupils. Its arms and legs are stubby, and it has a short tail with a rounded tip. There is a circular yellow pad on the underside of each foot. This Pokémon is known as Hoppip.
"That hurt," James said. Meowth looked around and he saw how far away they were.
"Hey, where we?" Meowth asked. Team Rocket looked around and they saw they were far from Pallet Town.
"How did we get all the way out here?" Jessie asked.
"But where is here?" James asked.
"Hey, there's a sign here," Meowth said. The sign reads Route 29.
"We're in the Johto region!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Johto?!" James and Meowth gasped. They hung their heads down and sighed. Jessie laughed. They looked right at her.
"Uh-oh. She's lost it," Meowth said.
"She's gone nuts," James added.
"Hear me out. I just had an epiphany!" Jessie stated. She laughed, leaving James and Meowth confused. "The boss doesn't know about our latest flop, and there's no need for them to know about this, so we'll begin anew right here in the Johto region!" James and Meowth realized that made a lot of sense.
"Hey, you're right, Jess!" Meowth said.
"They don't know where we are, so what they don't know won't hurt them!" James said, laughing.
"It's going to be a long time before they get to us," Meowth said.
"Everything is finally going our way!" Team Rocket exclaimed in unison. They laughed.
Back in Pallet Town, the party continued on as Sora and Kairi sat with their Pokémon as for their meal. Delia, Yuta, and Mirei smiled as they watched them eat their meal.
Several hours later, the party has concluded, but Sora heads right over to Professor Oak's lab to thank him personally for the party thrown in his honor. When Sora entered his living room, he sees Professor Oak sitting on his chair.
"Sora, good of you to show up. I just got off the phone with your mother and she told me that you were on your way," Professor Oak said.
"What is it, professor?" Sora asked.
Suddenly, a woman stepped in the room. She is light skinned with purple hair and a rather sleepy look in her brown eyes. She wore a white lab coat and necklace with a salmon top, a black skirt and pink shoes.
"Ah, perfect timing. Sora, allow me to introduce you to Professor Filena Ivy. She has traveled all the way from Valencia Island of the Orange Islands. Felina, this is Sora," Professor Oak introduced.
"You're Kaito's son. You look just like him," Professor Ivy said. Sora blinked twice.
"You knew my dad?" Sora asked.
"I did; a long time ago," Professor Ivy said. "He was a real good-looking man. And I can tell you'll be good-looking when you reach adulthood." She chuckled, making Sora flustered. "But there is a reason I am here."
"Why are you here, Professor Ivy?" Sora asked.
"Well, it's this," Professor Ivy said, taking out a Pokéball before him. The top of the Pokéball is gold, and it has GS engraved on it, and the bottom is silver. "This Pokéball was dropped by my lab some time ago, so I have no idea who it was that delivered it to me. I decided to call it the GS Ball since it seemed appropriate."
"A GS Ball. Huh," Sora said.
"Chu," Pikachu said.
"She came to me just today during the party, so I had to begin my research on it right away, but unfortunately, I'm completely stumped," Professor Oak said.
"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked.
"To be frank, I did everything I could to get a clue, but I had no such luck. I asked Ash, Leaf, and Gary to run this errand for me, but Gary is out on a new journey, but Ash and Leaf insisted that they recommend you to take the task." Sora was a bit lost.
"What kind of task are we talking about?" Sora asked.
"We were hoping that you would deliver the GS Ball directly to Kurt," Professor Ivy said.
"Who's Kurt?" Sora asked.
"Kurt is a Pokéball expert as well as a Pokéball smith," Professor Oak said.
"A Pokéball smith?" Sora asked.
"Kurt is well-known for his skills of crafting Pokéballs and his expertise on Pokéballs. In fact, he lives in Azalea Town in the Johto region," Professor Oak said.
"Why me?" Sora asked.
"Ash and Leaf explained that you have gone through amazing adventures during your last journey; that is why they recommended you for the job," Professor Oak explained. Sora thought about it for a moment and he knew a new region meant a new adventure.
"Okay, I can take up on the job," Sora said.
"Wonderful. Come by in the morning so we can get you set up for your journey," Professor Oak said.
Sora has returned home to deliver the news to his family.
"Professor Oak wants you to run an errand for him in the Johto region, Sora?" Karen asked.
"Pikachu?" Blossom asked.
"Yeah. I couldn't just say no to him, so I figured Pikachu and I can have quite a journey ahead of us," Sora said.
"Chu," Pikachu said.
"I had a feeling you would be aching for a new adventure ever since you came back home, Sora," Delia said. A knock on the door is heard. "Sora, can you answer that? I have to get dinner ready."
"Sure," Sora said. He walked over to the door and he answered it. He smiled when he saw it was Kairi and her family. Kairi, Kairi's family."
"Hello, Sora. You don't mind that we join you for dinner, do you?" Mirei asked.
"Not really. Come on in. Make yourselves comfy," Sora said.
Kairi and her family entered inside. Angel ran up to Pikachu and they nuzzle each other very affectionately. Blossom could only blush and she smiled.
During the meal, Sora explained about his upcoming journey in the Johto region.
"Johto, huh? Sounds like loads of fun," Yuta said.
"Yeah. Professor Oak asked me to make a delivery to a guy named Kurt who lives in Azalea Town," Sora said.
"Sounds like you'll need someone to keep you out of trouble," Kairi said to her boyfriend.
"You wanna come with me?" Sora asked.
"I do," Kairi said.
"I agree with Sora. You should have a word with your parents, Kairi," Delia said.
"It sounds good to me, Delia," Yuta said. "Besides, Kairi doesn't need a stamp of approval from us."
"I don't think we could convince her not to go with Sora; especially after what they went through since their first journey," Mirei said.
"Looks like you're stuck with her, Sora," Karen teased as Sora and Kairi glared at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora and Kairi asked. Karen laughed.
"I didn't mean it like that," Karen said, laughing some more. The couple's cheeks puffed up.
"Have you decided to bring all of your Pokémon with you when you get to Johto or will you leave them at Professor Oak's lab?" Yuta asked. Sora looked at his girlfriend's father.
"Uh, not really," Sora said.
"I thought I'd let you know that some Trainers leaves their Pokémon behind whenever they go out on a journey and use the Pokémon they catch where they are," Yuta said. Sora thought about it for a bit and he decided to go along with just taking Pikachu with him.
"I think I'll just bring Pikachu with me when we go off to the Johto region. Our whole thing started with me, Pikachu, Kairi, and Angel anyway, so it might as well start like that again," Sora said.
"The only difference is, Togepi will be coming with us," Kairi said.
"Toge?" Togepi chirped.
"Togepi still isn't used to being separated from me for so long, so I thought I'd bring him with us. Plus Togepi can learn some new moves after a while," Kairi said.
"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped.
"I see what you mean, Kairi. Why not? Togepi can come, too. As long as Pikachu agrees to help watch him," Sora said.
"Pi?" Pikachu asked.
"The same goes to Angel," Kairi said.
"Ee?" Angel asked.
"Then it's unanimous," Yuta said.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll be heading out to the Johto region, after we get what we need," Sora said.
"First, let's eat our dinner before it gets cold," Delia said.
"Right," everyone said, eating.
Morning came as Sora and Kairi arrived to Professor Oak's lab.
"Professor Oak, we're ready for Johto," Sora said. Professor Oak smiled when the couple walked right in.
"I figured Kairi was coming with you, Sora. I came well prepared," Professor Oak said, taking out two Pokédexes with a new design. "Here is a new Pokédex for each of you." Sora and Kairi accepted their Pokédexes.
"Thanks, professor," Sora and Kairi said in unison.
"You are welcome, kids," Professor Oak said. "Which one of your Pokémon will you be taking with you when you get to the Johto region?"
"Actually, professor, we decided to leave all of our Pokémon here with you just so we can catch some new Pokémon that lives there. We will only be taking Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi with us," Kairi said. Professor Oak was surprised by what they plan to do, but he understood.
"I see. Well in that case, I'll take good care of your Pokémon while you're away," Professor Oak said.
"Thank you, professor," Kairi said.
"No, thank you both," Professor Oak said. He took out the GS Ball. "Oh, before I forget, take the GS Ball with you." Sora takes it.
"Is that it?" Kairi asked.
"It is," Professor Oak confirmed. "And there is one more thing. I made contact with Professor Elm who now lives in New Bark Town. Professor Elm is an old student of mine when I taught my research to Kanto University. As I research on the relationships of people and Pokémon, Professor Elm does his research mostly on Pokémon breeding. As soon as you left, Sora, I made contact with him, and he knows that you will be arriving."
"Great," Sora said.
"So, when you do arrive there, give him my best regards," Professor Oak said.
"We will," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"We appreciate the Pokédexes," Kairi said.
"Also, there are two more things to tell you before you go," Professor Oak said. "There is another reason why Ash and Leaf have recommended you two. They explained to me that there have been Heartless sightings there as well. Ash is going to be staying behind to keep an eye on things here. I didn't bring it up because of Professor Ivy being there." Sora knew Ash and Leaf were right to send them to Johto to keep an eye on things in Kanto to deal with the Heartless.
"You said there are two more things, professor?" Kairi asked.
"Of course. The Johto region has a Pokémon League there, so I figured you would like to compete in it after you have earned 8 Gym Badges," Professor Oak said.
"I guess taking part of the Johto Pokémon League would be fun to compete in," Sora said.
"I thought you would say that, Sora. I won't keep you any longer, so good luck the both of you," Professor Oak said.
After their talk with Professor Oak, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi stepped out to say their goodbyes to their Pokémon for now.
"We will miss you very much. Make sure you do whatever Professor Oak says, okay?" Sora asked. All of his Pokémon acknowledged.
"All of you do the same," Kairi said. All of Kairi's Pokémon nodded.
"And when we need you, we'll bring you right over," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
They said their goodbyes to their Pokémon and heads back to say goodbye to their families. Ash and Leaf were with them.
"A new journey. Must be exciting," Yuta said.
"We hope the both of you be careful out there," Delia said.
"We will," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped.
"Ash, you sure you can handle it?" Sora asked.
"I'm sure, Sora. You're not the only one who has a Keyblade," Ash said, summing the Star Seeker. "Leave it to me."
"Be careful when you see them, Ash," Kairi said.
"I was going to say the same thing," Leaf said. "And be sure to catch loads of Pokémon."
"We will," Sora and Kairi said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.
"Eevee!" Angel said.
"Toge, Toge!" Togepi chirped.
With that said, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi have begun their journey towards the Johto region. Their first stop is Professor Elm's lab in New Bark Town. Soon, they would come across new kinds of Pokémon, and slay any Heartless that comes their way. But the Heartless wouldn't be the only enemy they will deal with it appears. Spying on them is a Nobody that seems to dress in a baggy, light gray jumpsuit with dark grey legs. Its lower legs fan outward like the lower half of the Nobody symbol, and its feet are nearly featureless, black points. Its arms are very long, light gray, and its hands are flat and teardrop-shaped. The back of each hand sports a white Nobody logo. The Nobody's gray head also has a teardrop shape. This Nobody is known as a Creeper.
Shortly after they left for Johto, Ash was now alone as a mysterious man approached him. He dons a much more complex outfit. His face is covered in red bandages, save for his right eye and mouth, and he tied two intersecting belts around his head, one passing over where his left eye should be. He wore a long, red cape with a quadrate cross cut taken out at the chest, the edges of which are yellow. This cut exposes a similarly oblong white symbol on a pitch-black shirt. He wore what seems to be gray, segmented armor over his sides and abdomen. His legs are covered by a long, black cloth lined with yellow, which itself has several brown straps pinned onto the front, seemingly for no purpose other than to create yet another angular pattern. On a yellow sash that hangs around his waist are three brown pouches, descending downward diagonally on his left hip. These pouches are all identical, all sporting the same design on the top flap, and all closed by a darker brown strap that attaches to a silver button on the right ride, a grey tassel hanging from each button. He wore a dark colored scarf around his neck. He also has light colored sleeves.
"I did what you asked me to do, DiZ. He's heading into the Johto region, but I still don't know why," Ash said.
"I have my reasons. But as you know, the Organization has taken a huge interest in Sora and his ability to wield the Keyblade, just like you, young Ash," DiZ said.
"Yeah, I know, but you haven't really answered my question about who they all are, and why they're interested in Sora so much," Ash said.
"I understand you do not want to be left in the dark, but I have to do what I must to ensure the downfall of Organization XIII," DiZ said. Ash didn't say anything, but he thought long and hard.
(Flashback)
It was a week after Sora has won the Pokémon League and he is approached by DiZ as he appeared right before him. Ash summoned his Keyblade.
"Who are you?!" Ash asked, holding it tight.
"Calm yourself. I am a friend," DiZ said.
"How do I know can trust you?" Ash asked.
"A wise question, young man. To answer your question, you may refer to me as DiZ," DiZ said. Ash raised a brow.
"DiZ? What kind of name is that?" Ash asked.
"It is short for Darkness in Zero. But that is irrelevant," DiZ said.
"Why's that irrelevant? What do you want?" Ash asked.
"I seek your assistance, my young friend," DiZ said.
"Why me?" Ash asked.
"Before you summoned your Keyblade, I knew you were a wielder of a Keyblade, much like your two friends, Sora and Kairi," DiZ said.
"How do you know about them?" Ash asked.
"That is also irrelevant, for now. What I'd relevant is what I am about to say to you," DiZ said. "A great threat is upon us."
"If you're talking about the Heartless, then I'm way ahead of you," Ash said.
"No, Ash. I am speaking of a different threat. What I am referring to is the Nobodies and Organization XIII," DiZ said.
"Organization XIII? Nobodies?" Ash asked. "Who are Organization XIII, and what are the Nobodies?"
"When one is with a strong that turns into a Heartless, a new entity is created. These entities are known as Nobodies," DiZ explained. "Organization XIII are high-ranking Nobodies that commands the lesser Nobodies. Unlike the Heartless, Nobodies can think and plan."
"What do you want me to do about it, DiZ?" Ash asked.
"Fight them of course," DiZ answered. "The Nobodies will pose a threat, and I fear it might be widespread, but sadly, I do not know how."
"If what you're saying is right, then I won't overlook this. I'll do what I can," Ash said.
"Excellent. I must request that you keep my existence a secret from all," DiZ said.
"I'll do it, DiZ," Ash said.
(Flashback ends)
Ash still didn't know what he got himself into, but he couldn't help but worry about Sora. He remembered what DiZ told him the Nobodies. But he had to have faith in his friend.