Episode 138: The Power of Will
After the two Pichu have joined in on the adventure, Sora, Kairi, Karen, Tracey, Pikachu, Angel, Blossom, and Togepi are getting closer than ever to Ecruteak City and for Sora's fourth Gym battle in the Johto region.
Sora is challenged by a Pokémon Trainer with a red headband.
"Hey, you heading for Ecruteak City?" The Trainer asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Sora asked.
"I've come to challenge you to a battle. So, how about it?" The Trainer asked, taking out a Pokéball. Sora does the same thing.
"I'll take you on with that," Sora said.
"Great! Let's make a three-on-three match!" The Trainer said. "Okay, Machop! Go!" His Pokéball opened and his Machop came on out.
"Go! Snubbull!" Sora called out. Snubbull came on out to battle against the Superpower Pokémon.
"That's a good choice. Snubbull's a Fairy-type Pokémon and Fairy-types has an advantage against Fighting-type Pokémon," Karen said.
"Pika," Blossom said.
"Machop! Use Mega Punch!" The Trainer ordered. Machop came at Snubbull with a Mega Punch.
"Use Fire Fang!" Sora ordered. Snubbull came at Machop and lands a fiery bite onto the Superpower Pokémon. "Use Headbutt!"
"Use Bullet Punch!" The Trainer ordered. Machop came at Snubbull with its fist glowing light blue and repeatedly punching her. "Use Bullet Punch again!"
"Use Play Rough!" Sora ordered. Snubbull came at Machop and gave it a series of beatings. Machop was down for the count. "Good job, Snubbull!"
"Snubbull," Snubbull said.
The Trainer called Machop back and he took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Persian!" The Trainer called out. His Persian came on out to battle. Sora calls Snubbull back and took out his Fast Ball and threw it.
"You're up, Ambipom!" Sora called out. Aipom came on out to battle.
"Persian! Use Slash!" The Trainer ordered. Persian came at Aipom with its claws ready to strike the Long Tail Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Swift!" Sora ordered. Aipom swings her tail and stars go flying at Persian and lands a hit. "Use Double Hit!" Aipom came at the Classy Cat Pokémon and gave it a couple of punches. Aipom then started to evolve. Aipom has become an Ambipom. "I figured you were gonna evolve sooner or later."
"Ambi," Ambipom said.
"Use Power-Up Punch!" Sora ordered. Ambipom came at Persian with Power-Up Punch.
"Persian! Use Power Gem!" The Trainer ordered. Persian fires Power Gem and hits Ambipom, resulting in a knockout. Sora calls Ambipom back.
"It's okay, Ambipom. You did your best," Sora said. The Trainer called back his Persian and he laughed.
"My Persian was more than a match for that Ambipom of yours," the Trainer said.
"It's not over yet," Sora said. He looked over to Pikachu. "Your turn now, Pikachu."
"Pika," Pikachu said with a nod. Pikachu stepped in.
"Okay, here's my third Pokémon! Go! Honchkrow!" The Trainer called out, throwing his Pokéball. It opened and revealed a dark-blue avian Pokémon with plumage resembling a person dressed in formal attire, one that most resembles a mob boss. It has a large feather crest resembling a fedora hat that has spikes extending from the back. It has circular red eyes with white sclerae and dark blue eyelids. Its yellow beak is slightly curved, and its head is supported by a broad, short neck. Ir has a white and prominent crest of feathers on its chest that bears resemblance to a beard or cravat. Its wings have red feathers on the inside. The Pokémon has black feet with four toes. The tail's base is a white, cylindrical stalk, on which there is a growth of red feathers on the end. Sora took out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokémon
The evolved form of Murkrow
Type: Dark/Flying
Honchkrow is known to form a flock of Murkrow under its command, nicknamed "the Summoner of the Night". It is a merciless Pokémon by nature. It does not forgive failure nor betrayal from its followers.
"So that's what Murkrow evolves into. That Honchkrow is going to be tough to beat," Sora said.
"Honchkrow! Use Night Slash!" The Trainer ordered. Honchkrow came at Pikachu with its talons giving off a dark glow.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Sora called out. Pikachu manages to dodge Honchkrow's talons. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fires Thunderbolt at Honchkrow, but shakes it off like it was nothing. "Honchkrow just took that?"
"That's right. My Honchkrow can put up with any Electric-type moves you throw at him! Honchkrow! Use Dark Pulse!" The Trainer ordered. Honchkrow fired Dark Pulse right at the Mouse Pokémon.
"Use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt and it blocked Dark Pulse. The Pichu were watching anxiously at the battle. Blossom places her paws on their heads, assuring them he's going to be alright.
"More power!" The Trainer ordered. Honchkrow turns up the power of Dark Pulse and manages to push back Thunderbolt. Pikachu is then hit hard by it. "Great! Use Giga Impact!" Honchkrow flew at Pikachu with a Giga Impact. Honchkrow was coming at Pikachu very fast.
"Pikachu!" Sora exclaimed. Pikachu remembered the fight with Ansem when they dodged his charge attack, so Pikachu did the same thing. Sora smiled. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, shocking Honchkrow on the mark. "Use Iron Tail!" Pikachu swung his tail in a similar manner as Sora swings his Keyblade, so he struck Honchkrow hard, resulting a knockout. The Trainer gasped when that happened.
"Oh, no!" The Trainer exclaimed.
"Great job, Pikachu," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
Unknown to them, the battle was watched by a mysterious man, who has lilac hair that falls over his left eye, while a bang frames his right eye. He wears a tight domino mask that covers his eyes and the space between them. He wears a black sleeveless tailcoat-like vest, with a pink tuxedo top underneath it, while the vest sports two rows of double brass buttons, with a gold line between them. He wears pink pants, with black derby shoes, while a frilled white cravat is present on his neck. He grinned.
"Very impressive," the man said. "He is oozing with potential."
After the battle, Sora's opponent walked up to him and shook his hand.
"Not bad. With those battling skills, you're going to do great against the Gym Leader," the Trainer said.
"Thanks. Your Pokémon are pretty awesome, too," Sora said.
"If we ever battle again, just know I plan on winning next time," the Trainer said, taking off with Honchkrow following him.
The man walked up to the small group.
"That was a very impressive display," the man said.
"Were you watching just now?" Sora asked.
"Yes, I was. And I was very impressed by your battling skills. The way you handled your Pokémon is proof that you have potential. You should be proud," the man said. Tracey recognized him.
"Hey, aren't you Will of the Johto Elite Four?" Tracey asked.
"Yes. Might I ask for your name?" The man asked.
"Sora," Sora replied.
"Sora, I am looking forward in meeting you again," Will said, taking his leave. Sora was amazed that he just met a member of the Johto region's Elite Four and praised for his skills.
A little later, Sora, Kairi, Karen, Tracey, Pikachu, Angel, Blossom, Togepi, and the Pichu have arrived to a nearby town and there was an event going on. Sora walked up to a man passing by.
"Hey, what's the occasion?" Sora asked.
"The occasion is that Will of the Elite Four is going to have a battle here today," the man said.
"Will? Really?" Sora asked.
"Yes. And everyone in town is really going for it. The stadium is down this road if you kids are interested," the man said.
"We'll look into it," Sora said.
With that said, Sora and his friends made it to the local stadium where a battle was about to take place.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our exhibition battle is about to begin! Before we begin, I would like to say that our battle is sponsored by our friends of the Silph Company. Both Trainers will be using three Pokémon each and substitutions are permitted by both parties! And the battle is over when all three Pokémon are unable to keep battling. And now, let us introduce our competitors right this minute!" The announcer announced as the first Trainer is a buffed up man, walking is a young man with black hair and he wore a red vest and blue jeans along with black boots and dark gray gloves. He has a Pokéball as part of his necklace. "First up, we have the Champion of the Orange Islands, Drake!" The crowd cheered hard for him. Will walks in next. "And now we have the Psychic-type user of the Johto Elite Four, Will!" The two Trainers shook hands, wishing each other a good match. "Drake and Will have each taken their position and we're about to begin!" Drake took out his first Pokéball and threw it.
"Ditto! Go!" Drake called out. Ditto came right out to battle.
"Drake's first Pokémon is a Ditto! Which one will Will send out and which one will Ditto copy?" The announcer asked. Will took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Xatu!" Will called out. His Pokéball opened and revealed a green, condor-like Pokémon with long, red-and-black tipped white wings that cover most of its front. Underneath its wings are designs that resemble red eyes. Along with its main green coloration, its design has accents of black, yellow, and red. It has almond eyes, a long, slightly hooked beak, and two long, red feather crests. Its feet have only two toes, one in front and one in back. Its design is similar to a totem pole or a kachina doll.
"And Drake has sent out Xatu!" The announcer announced as Sora took out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Xatu, the Mystic Pokémon
The evolved form of Natu
Type: Psychic/Flying
This odd Pokémon can see both the past and the future. It eyes the sun's movement all day.
"Natu's evolved form. So cool," Sora said.
"Yeah," Karen said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Pika," Blossom said.
"Ditto! Transform!" Drake ordered. Ditto transforms into Xatu.
"Ditto starts off by using its signature move!" The announcer announced.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Drake ordered. Ditto forms a ball of shadow and sends it at Xatu.
"Use Shadow Ball to block it!" Will ordered. Xatu forms Shadow Ball and sends it at Ditto's Shadow Ball and it results in an explosion.
"Two Shadow Balls collides with one another! Hard to tell who made the devastating blow!" The announcer announced.
"Use Future Sight!" Will ordered. Xatu's eyes gave off a light blue glow. Xatu creates five wormholes then blasts of electrified psychic energy through the wormholes and in between the wormholes.
"Xatu has set up a Future Sight!" The announcer announced as Will calls Xatu back inside. "Wait a minute! Will is recalling Xatu!" Will took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Jynx!" Will called out. Jynx came out.
"And Will has sent out his Jynx!" The announcer announced.
"Ditto! Transform!" Drake ordered. Ditto transformed into Jynx.
"Now Ditto has transformed into Jynx!" The announcer announced.
"Use Lovely Kiss!" Drake ordered. Ditto came at Jynx with a Lovely Kiss ready to go.
"Jynx! Use Double Slap!" Will ordered. Jynx gave Ditto a couple of slaps.
"Jynx stops Ditto with a Double Slap in the face!" The announcer announced.
"Use Psychic!" Will ordered. Jynx uses Psychic and held Ditto in the air.
"Now Jynx has its opponent in a Psychic hold!" The announcer announced. Suddenly, the wormholes appear around Ditto, barraging the it with the blasts of electrified psychic energy. "And Ditto has taken huge damage from Xatu's Future Sight!"
"Finish it with Ice Punch!" Will ordered. Jynx gave Ditto an icy punch, resulting in a knockout. Ditto reverts back to its own form.
"Ditto is unable to battle! Jynx wins!" The referee announced.
"And Will has taken an early lead in this bout!" The announcer announced.
"Drake's lost one of his Pokémon right off the bat," Karen said.
"Well, what can you expect from someone of the Elite Four?" Sora asked.
"Will knew while Ditto was taking on Xatu's appearance, it could use Future Sight like she could, so that's why Will switched Pokémon," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped.
"Pichu," the Shiny Pichu said.
"Pichu," the Spiky-eared Pichu said.
Drake calls back his Ditto and he smiled.
"You did a great job, Ditto. You deserve a good rest," Drake said. He took out his next and threw it. "Go! Steelix!" His Pokéball opened and his Steelix came out with a roar.
"And Drake has sent out Steelix, a Steel-type Pokémon to match up against Jynx whom is an Ice-type Pokémon!" The announcer announced. Will called back his Jynx and he took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Slowbro!" Will called out. His Pokéball opened up and Slowbro came out to battle.
"And Will has sent out Slowbro, a Water-type Pokémon!" The announcer announced.
"Begin with Trick Room!" Will ordered. Slowbro summons an orange cube and surrounds them both.
"Uh-oh! Slowbro has set up Trick Room!" The announcer announced.
"Use Water Pulse!" Will ordered. Slowbro forms a ball of water and hurls it at the Rock Snake Pokémon, easily taking it out.
"Steelix is unable to battle! Slowbro wins!" The referee announced.
"And Steelix was taken down with just one hit!" The announcer announced. Drake calls Steelix back. "And now Drake is down with just one Pokémon left to use! And which Pokémon is it going to be?" Drake took the Pokéball from his necklace and he held it.
"Everything all depends on you," Drake said. He threw it. "Go! Dragonite!" His Pokéball opens up and his Dragonite emerged from inside.
"And Drake has saved Dragonite for last!" The announcer announced. Will calls Slowbro back and he took Xatu's Pokéball out and he threw it.
"Go! Xatu!" Will called out. Xatu emerged from inside and reentered the battle.
"And Xatu is sent back out to finish what it has started!" The announcer announced.
"Dragonite! Use Dragon Claw!" Drake ordered as Dragonite came at Xatu with Dragon Claw.
"Dodge!" Will ordered. Xatu easily dodges Dragonite's Dragon Claw. "Use Shadow Ball!" Will ordered. Xatu threw a barrage of Shadow Balls at the Dragon Pokémon, dealing some damage.
"Use Ice Beam!" Drake ordered. Dragonite fired Ice Beam at the Mystic Pokémon, hoping it'll do some damage.
"And here comes Dragonite with a chilling Ice Beam! How will Xatu take it?!" The announcer asked.
"Use Psychic to send Ice Beam right back!" Will ordered. Xatu reflects Dragonite's Ice Beam and its the Dragon Pokémon in the stomach, freezing it.
"Brr! Dragonite was frozen by its own attack! This is not looking good for Drake right now!" The announcer announced.
"Use Psychic again!" Will ordered. Xatu uses Psychic on Dragonite. It was a powerful attack, so Dragonite is sent flying backwards and struck the wall. Dragonite has been taken down from Xatu's Psychic.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! Xatu wins! The winner is Will!" The referee announced.
"And Will has overcome the Champion of the Orange Islands without losing a single Pokémon against him!" The announcer announced as Drake calls Dragonite back and approached Will.
"That was a great battle, Will. Your Xatu is one of the toughest opponents I have ever faced," Drake said.
"You too, Drake. Your Pokémon have given it their all," Will said. He and Drake shook hands.
After the match, Sora sat with his friends to think about his Gym battle in Ecruteak City.
"So, which Pokémon will you be using, Sora?" Karen asked.
"Well, I heard from someone that the Gym Leader uses Ghost-type Pokémon, so I'm gonna guess I'll be using Dark-type Pokémon, so Houndour and Murkrow would be it. As for a third, I was thinking of using Umbreon since my regular team's not gonna cut it against Ghost-types since they can be tricky opponents. Also after watching Will in that battle, I'll need to be really ready for the.," Sora said.
"Knowing what your opponent is key to victory, but you should already know that relying on types alone is not enough," Will said, coming from behind. Sora quickly turned around.
"Will, hey. Watched your battle today," Sora said.
"I thought you would. I was hoping that I have impressed you, Sora," Will said.
"You did," Sora said. "That was an epic battle."
"If you wish to practice, I would like to be your opponent, Sora," Will said.
"You sure?" Sora asked.
"I am. I guess I was going to have my battle with you sooner than I anticipated. But I expect the best from my opponents," Will said.
"I give nothing but my best," Sora said. Will grinned.
"I don't doubt it. We will start whenever you are ready," Will said.
"I hope I didn't go and shoot my mouth off," Sora said in his thoughts.
Sora and Will have gotten into positions for their unofficial battle. Will has taken out his Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Xatu!" His Pokéball opened and his Xatu came out to battle. Sora turned to Pikachu.
"You're up, Pikachu," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Sora, Pikachu, do your best!" Kairi said.
"Eevee, vee!" Angel said.
"Get him, big brother!" Karen said.
"Pika, Pika!" Blossom said.
"Pichu!" The Spiky-eared Pichu said.
"Pichu!" The Shiny Pichu said.
"You may have the first move," Will said.
"Use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dashes at Xatu with Quick Attack.
"Dodge it, Xatu!" Will ordered. Xatu manages to dodge, so Pikachu turned back around and lands a hit onto her.
"Great! Use Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu swings his tail and lands a hit with Iron Tail.
"Your Pikachu's speed is very impressive. I don't doubt you've been working on its speed," Will said.
"That's the fruit of our training, Will," Sora said.
"Use Future Sight!" Will ordered. Xatu did what she did with Ditto in the battle against Drake earlier. Sora knew Will was going to use Future Sight and it'll come out at any moment. Sora had to be ready for it.
"Use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at Xatu.
"Use Psychic to block it!" Will ordered. Xatu uses Psychic to block Pikachu's Thunderbolt and sent it back.
"Raise your tail!" Sora called out. Pikachu lifts up his tail and it absorbs Thunderbolt into it. Will was really impressed by what he saw.
"I never would have suspected this. His Pikachu is something else," Will said. "Use Shadow Ball!" Xatu forms a ball of shadow and sends it at Pikachu.
"Use Electro Ball!" Sora ordered. Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it at Xatu's Shadow Ball, resulting in an explosion. Both Pokémon were still standing. "Use Quick Attack!"
"Dodge and use Omnious Wind!" Will ordered. Xatu dodges and flapped her wings, sending out a ghostly wind at the Mouse Pokémon. Future Sight kicks in as electrified psychic energy rains down.
"Pikachu! Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu tries to dodge, but Future Sight came too quickly for Pikachu to dodge and he was knocked out from the powerful attack. Sora rushes over to Pikachu and helps him up. "You okay, Pikachu?"
"Pika," Pikachu weakly said.
"Excellent, Sora," Will said, calling Xatu back. "You have proven to me that you are a capable Pokémon Trainer, and you have definitely earned my respect."
"Thanks, Will. I was impressed by you, too. I can see why you're in the Johto Elite Four," Sora said.
"It is not the title that determines how great you are, Sora. It is how you use it," Will said. Sora has taken Will's words to heart.
"I'll make sure to remember this, Will," Sora said.
"And so will I. And I'm looking forward to the day we have an official Pokémon battle, so I expect you to give it your all when that day comes," Will said.
"You won't be disappointed, Will," Sora said.
Will took his leave as Sora was determined to become even stronger the next time he meets Will again.
Sora checked Pikachu in the Pokémon Center to recover from his battle, so Sora decided to train hard for the Gym battle. He exchanged Ambipom, Noctowl, Ariados, and Gligar for Houndour, Murkrow, Scyther, and Umbreon. Sora has gotten his other Pokémon out and trained hard. During the training, Phanpy has evolved into a Donphan.
Sora might not have won against Will, but he was greatly inspired. Who knows where this inspiration will take him? We'll have to wait and see as we continue on ahead as the journey continues.