Episode 267: ZigZag Zangoose!
Couple of days have passed since Kairi's Feebas has evolved into a majestic Milotic; so Sora, Kairi, Brendan, May, Max, Lisia, Rei, Pikachu, and Angel have made a stop just so Sora could train for his upcoming battles. Kairi was also training her Milotic along with her other Pokémon. Sora exchanged Nosepass for Makuhita, knowing he was going need a Fighting-type Pokémon to use against Norman. Sora has placed on some boxing pads on and held his hands in front of Makuhita.
"Okay, Makuhita, you're going to need every edge you're gonna get when you're in a battle. Prentend I'm your opponent, and use your Arm Thrust on my hands when I come at you," Sora said, moving his hand forward. Makuhita uses his Arm Thrust to block Sora's hands. "Yeah, that's the stuff! Keep using your Arm Thrust! Again and again and again!" Makuhita kept on training his Makuhita to block. "You're doing great! Keep it up!"
"Maku, Maku, Maku, Maku!" Makuhita said, training. Makuhita forms a ball of energy and sends right at Sora, making him duck his head.
"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed as he ducked his head out of the way. He looked right at the Guts Pokémon and smiled. "That was awesome, Makuhita! You just learned to use Focus Blast!"
"Makuhita, Makuhita!" Makuhita said.
"You're going to do awesome in your first Gym battle," Sora said. Sora stroked his chin. "But there is the matter of whom to use for my battle against Tucker." Sora thought for a while. "Maybe I'll wait until we get there."
"Hita," Makuhita said.
"Okay, use Focus Blast!" Sora ordered. Makuhita forms a Focus Blast and sends it towards a bush, but something came jumping out of the shrubs and growled. It turns out to be an Absol. "An Absol."
"Maku," Makuhita said.
Absol rushes at Sora with a Quick Attack, but Sora jumped out of the way in time.
"If it's a battle you want, and that's what you're gonna get!" Sora said. He turned to Makuhita. The Guts Pokémon nodded and stepped in to battle Absol. "Makuhita! Use Arm Thrust!" Makuhita came at Absol with an Arm Thrust, but Absol just dodged and came at Absol with a Scratch. "Arm Thrust again!" Makuhita came at Absol and lands some hits on it. Absol then gave Makuhita another Scratch and then builds up a strong wind in its horn. "Absol is getting ready to use Razor Wind! Makuhita! Use Force Palm!" Makuhita came at Absol placed his hand in front of Absol. Energy shoots from his palm, hitting it. Absol ends up being paralyzed. "Use Seismic Toss!" Makuhita grabbed Absol and gave the Disaster Pokémon a toss, straight down to the ground. Absol was knocked out. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it. Absol flowed inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Sora's Pokémon Box goes off asking him if he wants to keep Absol with him. He chose to keep Absol in exchange for Manectric. Sora walked over to his Pokéball and picked it up. "Got myself an Absol."
"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu said.
"Makuhita!" Makuhita said.
"A good catch, Sora," Rei said, approaching him from behind. "Your training is paying off."
"Thanks, Master," Sora said. "I figure maybe Kairi could tell if my new Absol is a boy or girl."
"That's a good idea since she has that sort of talent. In fact, she wanted me to fetch you, because she's about to have lunch prepared," Rei said. Sora beamed.
"I wouldn't miss that for the world," Sora said.
"I didn't think you would," Rei said.
Sora, Rei, and Pikachu rejoined the group as Kairi has prepared some soup for everyone. Once Sora has shown the group his new Absol, Kairi was quick to figure out it was a male Absol.
Meanwhile, Ash and Leaf have come across a small group of Tropius.
"How lucky are we to catch up to a group of Tropius?" Leaf asked.
"Pretty lucky, Leaf, since Tropius are pretty hard to find out in the wild," Ash said. "Especially that they keep flying around when they're on the move."
"Let's each catch one," Leaf suggested.
"Okay," Ash said. He and Leaf each took out a Pokéball. They threw their Pokéballs. "Go! Swellow!"
"I choose you, Grumpig!" Leaf called out.
Ash's Pokéball opened to reveal a Swellow as Leaf's Pokéball revealed a bipedal, pig-like Pokémon. It has large ears, a pink snout, and oval eyes. The lower half of its body is black, while the upper half is purple. There are black markings on its ears and arms, while its hands and feet are purple. Its tail is pink and curly. There appear to be three shining black pearls on its body: two small ones on its head, and a larger but nearly flat pearl on its midsection where the black meets the purple.
They alerted some of the group as two Tropius stood to fight. The two Tropius launched their attack by unleashing a Magical Leaf right at their opponents.
"Grumpig! Use Psychic to stop those leaves!" Leaf ordered. Grumpig uses its Psychic to stop the leaves in their place. "Send them back!" Grumpig sent the leaves back, hitting the two Tropius on the mark. "Okay, Ash, your turn!"
"Swellow! Use Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered. Swellow dashed forward and hits one of the Tropius. One of the Tropius came flying after Swellow as the other one dealt with Grumpig. "Swellow! Use Wing Attack!" Swellow flew right towards its opponent and lands a hit with its wings. "Okay Swellow! Use Heat Wave!" Swellow flapped its wings, hitting the Tropius on the mark. It goes down. Ash took out a Pokéball and threw it. It flowed inside of it. The Pokéball wobbles around and around very violently. Ash knew it might not stay in for long. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "Yes! I got myself a Tropius!"
"Grumpig! Use Ice Punch!" Leaf ordered. Grumpig lands an Ice Punch onto the other Tropius, freezing it. "Use Psychic to bring it down!" Grumpig used Psychic on the Tropius, slamming it down. Leaf has taken out a Pokéball and threw it. The Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "I got myself a Tropius, too!"
"A good day for us both," Ash said.
Once the lunch has concluded, Sora, Kairi, Brendan, May, Max, Lisia, Rei, Pikachu, and Angel took off on their way when a Zangoose ran past them.
"Hey, it's a Zangoose," Max said.
"Zang, Zang!" A voice as another Zangoose approached the first Zangoose. "There you are, Zangoose, I've been looking for you!"
"Wait a minute! I know that voice!" Sora said.
"So do I!" Brendan said.
"Me too!" Kairi said.
"Nicholai!" Sora, Kairi, Brendan, May, and Max all said at once. The second Zangoose is revealed to be Nicholai the Knickerbocker.
"Yeah, that's my name, what about it?" Nicholai asked. His face lit up when he recognized Sora, Kairi, Brendan, May, and Max.
"Do you know him?" Rei asked.
"Yeah, we met him before, Master," Brendan confirmed.
"It was after we left Petalburg City and we ran into Nicholai when he was out, looking for a Zigzagoon to catch," May added.
"It's good to see some friendly faces again; especially yours, May and Max," Nicholai said.
Nicholai invited the group back to his camp when they shared with Nicholai about their past experiences. They introduced Rei, telling the Knickerbocker that she's Sora and Kairi's Master, teaching them about the ways of the Keyblade, and she started to teach Brendan and May since they've gotten theirs when Heartless have attacked, and about the Nobodies, other Unversed, Zell, Vanitas, and Organization XIII making an appearance. Brendan and May even showed Nicholai their Keyblades, making him almost even introduced Lisia to him, and about Sora taking part of the Battle Frontier and about Kairi and May participating in Contests.
"Wow, somehow, I knew you'd be worthy of something as awesome as the Keyblade. You'd make us true Knickerbockers proud!" Nicholai said.
"Um, thanks, I think," May said.
"Now that you know what we've been up to, it's your turn. What's new with you?" Brendan asked.
"After meeting all of you, I went to Petalburg City to challenge the Gym Leader," Nicholai said.
"You did? Did you meet our dad?" May asked.
"What about our mom?" Max asked.
"Yep! And when I told them I was friends with you two, they invited me to their house for a great, home-cooked meal! And then the next day, I challenged your dad," Nicholai said.
"How'd you do?" Sora asked.
"Did you earn a Badge from him?" Brendan asked.
"I doubt that," Max scoffed. "My dad's so strong, you wouldn't even had a chance." Nicholai stood up on his feet.
"That's what they all say before they taste defeat by the hands of Nicholai!" Nicholai boasted. Everyone were shocked to hear how it sounded.
"Does that mean you won?" Kairi asked.
"No, I got creamed," Nicholai said. Everyone did an anime-style fall.
"Well, at least you're honest about it," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"There's no shame in losing to a great Pokémon Trainer like their father. It was a thrill for me to battle a wearer of Knickerbockers!" Nicholai said. May and Max gasped as the group assumed Norman was wearing shorts at the time.
"Our dad would never battle wearing shorts!" May scolded.
"And he would never call them Knickerbockers!" Max added.
"Aw, just you wait! So all the great Trainers would be wearing them!" Nicholai said, patting on the back, pretty hard.
"So, Nicholai, since you lost, you're training out here to train for a rematch, right?" Lisia asked.
"Yep. I'm working on strength, speed, and conditioning, so the next time Zangoose and I battle, we'll be unbeatable!" Nicholai said.
"How would like to have a battle?" Sora challenged. "There's a Pokémon I just caught I wanna test out in battle."
"I say, alright, what we waiting for?" Nicholai asked. Sora and Nicholai got into position for their battle.
"Let's make this a two-on-two battle, Nicholai," Sora said.
"You got it!" Nicholai said. "Pokémon change!" He changes into a Marshtomp suit. "Go! Marshtomp!" His Pokéball opens and his Marshtomp emerged from inside.
"It looks like his Mudkip must have evolved," May said.
"Sure has," Brendan agreed.
"I know what I'm gonna use for this match," Sora said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Treecko!" His Pokéball opened and Treecko emerged from inside, putting his twig in his mouth.
"Marshtomp! Hit it with your Water Gun!" Nicholai ordered. Marshtomp fired Water Gun right at the Wood Gecko Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Treecko managed to dodge Marshtomp's Water Gun.
"Now, keep blasting your Water Gun, and don't let it get closer!" Nicholai ordered. Marshtomp kept on firing Water Gun right at Treecko, making it harder for Treecko to dodge.
"Stay on your toes!" Sora called out.
"Marshtomp! Mud Shot, now!" Nicholai ordered. Marshtomp fired a Mud Shot right at Treecko, dealing some serious damage on him.
"Treecko has taken some serious damage from that Mud Shot," Max said.
"And that Water Gun is more powerful than it was when it was just a little Mudkip," May added.
"Nicholai has gotten stronger than when I battled him," Brendan said.
"Okay, Marshtomp! Finish it off with Iron Tail!" Nicholai ordered. Marshtomp came at Treecko with an Iron Tail.
"Fire your Bullet Seed!" Sora ordered. Treecko fired Bullet Seed, hitting Marshtomp, dealing some heavy damage.
"Oh, no, Marshtomp!" Nicholai gasped.
"Use Leafage!" Sora ordered. Treecko unleashed Leafage, dealing some extra damage on the Mud Fish Pokémon. Marshtomp fell on its back.
"Oh, no! You gotta get up, Marshtomp!" Nicholai pleaded. Marshtomp tries to stand back up to keep battling, but fell back down, beaten.
Not too far away, three familiar faces show up from behind the shrubs. It was the "Invincible" Pokémon Brothers whom Sora and Kairi met in Cerulean City, Kim, Kai, and Kail.
"There they are. The punk kids who made us look bad," Kim said.
"How can I forget what they did? Those two made a laughingstock out of us while we were in jail!" Kail said.
"The time has come to settle the score with those two little punks!" Kai said.
"It looks like they're in the middle of a battle, so we'll swoop in and launch our attack when the time's right," Kim said.
"Yeah!" Kai and Kail both said.
"And we got some new Pokémon to help us out," Kim said. They took out their Pokéballs and let out three Seviper. They're waiting for their moment to strike.
If you're wondering how they got to the Hoenn region, here's a little something to shed some light on the matter. After the Invincible Pokémon Brothers were arrested, they were thrown in prison after they openly insulted a lady judge when they told her that she didn't have a husband which only made it worse for them since then. They were sentenced to 5 years in prison. Hearing of Sora's fame from inside prison only fueled their bitterness and they broke out of prison to track Sora and Kairi down, and get their payback.
"That was a good battle, but you haven't beaten me yet!" Nicholai said, calling back his Marshtomp.
"That's something we both can agree on," Sora said.
"Alright, Pokémon change!" Nicholai said, changing in his Zangoose suit. He took a Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Zangoose!" His Pokéball opened and his Zangoose came out.
"Be ready, Treecko!" Sora said.
"Tree," Treecko said.
"Go, Zangoose! Use Swords Dance!" Nicholai ordered. Zangoose was about to use Swords Dance when the Cat Ferret Pokémon sensed something in the air.
"What's wrong with your Zangoose?" Sora asked.
"I don't know," Nicholai said. Zangoose then goes on its right. "Zangoose, where are you going?" Zangoose jumped in the bushes, alarming the Invincible Pokémon Brothers, making them jump right out.
"Hey, I know you three stooges!" Sora barked.
"Moe, Larry, and Curly," Kairi said.
"Stooges?! Who are you calling stooges, and those aren't even our names!" Kim barked back.
"Zangoose!" Zangoose growled.
"Viper!" The three Seviper, growled as they rose up.
"I figured this was why Zangoose was acting like this, because he knew there were three Seviper nearby!" Nicholai said.
"Right, becuase Seviper and Zangoose are natural enemies," Sora said, remembering. It was a completely different story with Sora's Zangoose and Seviper since they got along so well.
"And I remember right, Seviper and Zangoose can sense each other's presence even from a distance, so they can't resist the urge to fight each other," Brendan said. The three Seviper ganged up on Zangoose, hitting the Cat Ferret Pokémon on the mark with a combo Poison Tail.
"You leave Zangoose alone!" Nicholai demanded.
"Hey, you're supposed to be targeting those two, you overgrown Caterpie!" Kim barked. Kim's Seviper just hissed, making Kim flinch. He chuckled nervously. "I was just kidding about that. You go right ahead." The Invincible Pokémon Brothers just fled as the brawl continued, but they tripped in a river, washing down the stream. The brawl between Zangoose and the Seviper continued on when they rolled right into the same river, making them splash around as they fought. The three Seviper gotten the upper hand when they smacked Zangoose. The group ran after the Pokémon in the water.
"Try to swim to the shore, Zangoose!" Nicholai said. Sora has seen enough and took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Corphish! Go!" Sora called out, making Corphish emerge from inside. "Use Bubble Beam!" Corphish fired Bubble Beam, making the three Fang Snake Pokémon retreat. "Good job! Help Zangoose back to the shore!"
"Zangoose, are you all right?" Nicholai asked with concern.
"Zangoose," Zangoose weakly said.
"Zangoose sure has taken lots of damage," Max said.
"Well, Zangoose was up against three Seviper all at once, and then getting dragged by the river," May said.
"We better get Zangoose back to the camp to heal him up," Lisia suggested.
"I agree. I think I can whip up something to help Zangoose heal," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Okay, it sounds like a good plan," Nicholai said. The group helped Zangoose back to Nicholai's camp and they laid Zangoose down on a blanket as Kairi cooked up a healing soup. "Don't you worry, Zangoose, we'll take good care of you." Kairi approached Nicholai.
"There's some special herbs mixed in this soup. Zangoose should get some rest and he'll be fine," Kairi said.
"Thanks, I hope so," Nicholai said, taking the soup. "Here, Zangoose, take this."
"Zang... Zangoose?" Zangoose asked.
"Don't worry, Zangoose. You're among friends here," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Goose," Zangoose said.
"Here, Zangoose, eat some of Kairi's soup, it'll make you feel better," Nicholai said. Zangoose eats the soup Kairi has made.
"Even injured, I can bet my Ribbons he's thinking about those three Seviper," May said.
"And you'd win the grand prize because you would be right," Rei said. She turned to Sora and Kairi. "Now, Sora, Kairi, you said you knew those three before. Can you explain how?"
"It's like this. We met those three when we were in Cerulean City when I was partaking in the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League. They called themselves the 'Invincible Pokémon Brothers '. Those three bullies were having their Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop beating up Pokémon just for laughs. And that's when they targeted us. After I defeated Misty, Cerulean City's Gym Leader, they launched their attack, and that's when they made their mistake. Those guys pushed every one of my buttons and I had Pikachu give them a shock they wouldn't forget and they ended up getting arrested and put in jail for what they did," Sora explained.
"That explains a lot. And I can only assume that they came all this way just to have their revenge on you," Rei said.
"I can't believe those three would just do something so awful," Lisia said.
"They must have broken out just to settle the score," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"We're going to be ready for them when they show their faces around us," Sora said.
Over to the Invincible Pokémon Brothers, they have gotten out of the river and they panted.
"That stupid Zangoose ruined everything! If I knew it was going to be right there, we could have moved in earlier!" Kim hissed.
"I told you we should have gone with Breloom!" Kai said.
"Or maybe Hariyama," Kail said.
The three Seviper jumped out of the water and right back to their Trainers.
"Seviper, glad you made it back," Kim said.
"What do we do about this?" Kail asked.
"We go back and settle the score with those losers!" Kim said.
"He's right, Kail! We came out here to settle the score with those two and that's what we're gonna do!" Kai said.
"Those two cannot disrespect the Invincible Pokémon Brothers and walk!" Kim said.
"No, they cannot!" Kai and Kail exclaimed.
"Let's get down with our revenge," Kim said.
"Revenge of the Invincible Pokémon Brothers will take place now!" The Invincible Pokémon Brothers proclaimed.
Back at the camp, Zangoose was still resting as Nicholai looked up Seviper's information on his Rotom Phone.
Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokémon
Type: Poison
Constant polishing makes the edge of the blade on its tail extremely sharp to use on its prey or its enemies, especially Zangoose.
"Sounds like a brutal battle," May said.
"Especially with that fued going on," Max added.
"Zangoose will do okay once he's healed," Kairi said.
"And once I learn everything I can battling Seviper, I need to do some practice battles to get ready!" Nicholai said.
"Say, I think Sora, Brendan, and I can play the part of Seviper," Kairi offered. Sora and Brendan just looked at her.
"What?" Sora and Brendan both asked in unison.
"Think about it. Nicholai needs to learn how to battle Seviper with Zangoose, so it's only a good idea to teach him how to battle against not only one Seviper, but three," Kairi said.
"I guess you're, but-" Brendan paused.
"But isn't three against one an unfair advantage?" Sora asked.
"The Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed never cared if they outnumbered us, but we always pulled through. And I doubt those three jerks cares about that, too," Kairi said. Sora and Brendan agreed with her about the Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and the Invincible Pokémon Brothers, so they did want to help out Nicholai, so why not? Kairi turned to Nicholai. "You have any spare Seviper suits with you, Nicholai?"
"Yeah, I do. I have them in case of I lose any or if they get trashed. It'll be a good excuse to use them," Nicholai said. "Pokémon change!" Nicholai wore his Zangoose suit. "Zangoose!"
"Pokémon change!" Sora, Kairi, and Brendam all shouted as they all wore Seviper suits. "Seviper!" May and Max just looked at them funny.
"Okay, Nicholai, just so you know, I battled against a few Seviper, so I figured we start by battling against one Seviper," Sora said.
"Thanks, Seviper. Here I come! Zang, Zang, Zang!" Nicholai said.
"Here I come! Seviper!" Sora said. He swings the costume and hits Nicholai with the tail. "Sorry I did that, but Seviper is very fast when using its tail." Nicholai stands back up on his feet.
"Kay!" Nicholai said. He starts running. "Zang, Zang, Zang!"
"Seviper!" Sora shouted, swinging the tail again. Nicholai then dodged the tail.
"How's this? I'm dodging! You're pretty good!" Nicholai said. Sora turned around and bit Nicholai on the arm. "Yeouch!"
"By dodging, Seviper's tail, you're putting yourself in reach for Seviper's bites. Those fangs are very painful when they strike," Sora said.
"So if I dodge the tail, I get bitten, and if I avoid the bites I get the tail? Seems like either way I lose!" Nicholai exclaimed.
"Don't throw in the towel yet, Nicholai. Every Pokémon has a weakness, and you'll find Seviper's. You just gotta find it and exploit it," Sora said.
"Okay," Nicholai said.
"Viper!" Sora said.
"Zang!" Nicholai responded.
Sora and Nicholai pushed into each other.
"Is this fake battling really going to help Nicholai win?" May asked.
"It's good for the Trainers, but it doesn't help their Pokémon at all," Max said.
"You're wrong about that, Max," Rei disagreed. May and Max just looked at her. "A good Pokémon Trainer works together in one unit. The closer to Nicholai gets to being like a Zangoose, the better he becomes."
"If you say so," May said. One of her Pokéballs opened up and out came a Skitty.
"Skitty, you let yourself out again," May said. Skitty went up to Sora, thinking he was a real Seviper.
"Hey, where'd you come from? Go away! Leave me alone! Shoo, Skitty, shoo!" Sora exclaimed.
"Skitty?" Nicholai asked.
"Skitty, stop!" May said as she and Max chased the Kitten Pokémon around. "That's not a real Seviper!"
"Not again," Brendan groaned.
Sora ran around with Skitty in pursuit with the siblings chasing it around. Sora and Skitty were running around in a zigzag pattern.
"May, get your Skitty under control!" Sora exclaimed. May dove forward.
"I got you!" May said. Skitty moved, making her miss. "Ow."
"Is this part of the training?" Nicholai asked.
"No, it's not," Kairi said.
"Seviper!" Three hissing voices called out. Hearing the voices, Zangoose woke up.
"Seviper!" Kairi said.
"Not now. We haven't even gotten to the three against one part of the training," Brendan said.
"Zangoose, Zangoose!" Zangoose said, getting up and running off to the source of the voices.
"Zangoose, come back!" Nicholai exclaimed.
"This isn't good. Zangoose hasn't fully recovered from his injuries," Lisia said.
"We gotta go after him before he something bad happens," Kairi said, taking off her Seviper suit.
"You're right. There's a good chance Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed might be in the area," Sora said, taking his off as well.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said. Brendan took off his Seviper suit.
"If there are any, then they're gonna be sorry that they bumped into us," Brendan said.
"Let's go," Rei said.
With that said, the group followed the Cat Ferret Pokémon right up to the three Seviper and their Trainers. They had their microphones ready and everything.
"Good of you to show up. We were almost starting to think you wouldn't come all this way," Kim said.
"I can see you haven't changed a bit. You three are the same cowards we met back in Cerulean City," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Don't call us cowards!" Kai hissed.
"Yeah! We want payback for how you beaten us and made us into big jokes!" Kail added.
"It was your own fault because you just attacked innocent Pokémon for no reason!" Kairi said.
"And your mistake was picking a fight with us!" Sora said.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Eevee!" Angel said.
"We know about you three, so I'm going to give you three a fair warning. Leave now, and don't ever show your faces around us," Rei said.
"Don't tell us what to do like we're little kids! We do whatever we want! And what we want is to settle score with those two right there!" Kim said.
"I got bad news for you! You're gonna end up losing bad like you did the last time!" Sora said.
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Kail said.
"We're gonna settle the score here and now!" Kai said.
"Seviper! Use Poison Tail now!" The Invincible Pokémon Brothers ordered. The Seviper came at Sora and Kairi with a Poison Tail as Xipak and Celeste appeared and attacked with a Thunderbolt and Swift, blocking their assault.
"You again," Sora said.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"Why you little!" Kai said.
"We'll teach you to meddle in our affairs!" Kim said, taking out a Pokéball. "Go! Hitmonchan!" Kai and Kail took out their Pokéballs and threw them.
"Hitmonlee, go!" Kail called out.
"Go! Hitmontop!" Kai called out.
Their three Pokémon emerged from inside, ready to battle against Xipak and Celeste.
"Hitmonchan! Use Mega Punch!" Kim ordered.
"Hitmonlee! Use Mega Kick!" Kail ordered.
"Hitmontop! Use Rapid Spin!" Kai ordered.
The three Fighting-types attacked Xipak and Celeste, but they dodged their attacks, but the Fighting-types kept on attacking. Zangoose glared at the three Seviper and they glared right back at Zangoose. Two of the Seviper attempts to bite Zangoose, but he managed to dodge their attacks
"Seviper! Use Crunch!" Kim ordered. The Seviper attacked with a Crunch. They surrounded Zangoose.
"Dodge them! Hurry!" Nicholai called out. Zangoose dodged the Seviper's attacks. "That was a good dodge, but Zangoose is getting too tired." Zangoose is still panting. Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop kept chasing after Xipak and Celeste as they were running in a zigzag pattern. Nicholai quickly noticed it. "They can't catch that Pikachu and Eevee because they keep zigzagging back and forth just like that Skitty did in the training exercise. That's it! Zangoose, you gotta move like that Pikachu and Eevee! Make zigzags!"
"Goose!" Zangoose said.
Xipak and Celeste kept on running around and around so Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop were getting exhausted from all the running they were doing. Xipak and Celeste attacked with another Thunderbolt and Swift combo, hitting all three of them, resulting in a triple knockout.
"Okay, get that Zangoose!" Kim ordered. The Seviper starts to gang up on the Cat Ferret Pokémon.
"Zangoose! Run the way we were talking about!" Nicholai called out.
"Look at that! That Zangoose is wasting whatever energy it's got left!" Kai said.
"This should be good!" Kim said.
The brothers just grinned wickedly as they watched their Seviper chase after Zangoose.
"Oh no, those Seviper are gaining on Zangoose! It looks like he's going to lose for sure!"
"I don't know about that. Zangoose is running in the same zigzag pattern like earlier," Rei said. The group looked at Zangoose and noticed it as they pictured Skitty running in the zigzag pattern.
"You're right! That's exactly how Skitty ran earlier!" Kairi said.
"Nicholai must have gotten the idea when Skitty was chasing me around," Sora said.
"Use Crunch followed by Poison Tail!" The Invincible Pokémon Brothers ordered. The three Fang Snake Pokémon were gaining on the Cat Ferret Pokémon.
"Jump!" Nicholai called out. The three Seviper lunged towards Zangoose, but he jumped out of the way. They attempt to strike with their bladed tails, but missed, too.
"No way!" Kim exclaimed.
"You see? By running around, Zangoose was able to dodge those Seviper's fangs and tails and tired them out," Rei said.
"Zangoose! Use Crush Claw!" Nicholai ordered. Zangoose swiped his claws on all three Seviper, knocking all three of them at the same time.
"No way! Our Seviper!" Kail cried.
"You're gonna pay for that!" Kai barked.
"Give it up! You guys lost!" Sora said.
"Yeah, you cowards are never going to win!" Brendan added.
"Oh, yeah? Well, it's not over until we say it's over!" Kim said, taking out another Pokéball.
"Yeah!" Kai and Kail said, taking out their own Pokéballs when an Electrode appeared before them and grinned.
"An Electrode!" Max exclaimed. May took out her Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Electrode, the Ball Pokémon
The evolved form of Voltorb
Type: Electric
Electrode stores electrical energy inside its body. Even the slightest shock could trigger a huge explosion.
Electrode just grinned as its whole body started to glow. Sora and Kairi knew what it meant.
"Everybody, hit the deck!" Sora yelled.
"It's gonna blow!" Kairi added.
The whole group ducked their heads as Electrode explodes in front of the Invincible Pokémon Brothers and their Pokémon. They were covered with soot as Electrode just grinned. They laid right on the ground as a familiar young detective came along and cuffed all three of them.
"Thought you get away, didn't you? Well, you should have thought again," the voice said. Sora and Kairi saw it was Rocky Beams. He just smiled and waved at the couple. "Hi, Sora, hi, Kairi."
"Rocky!" Sora exclaimed.
"It's been a long time!" Kairi said.
"You know him, too?" Lisia asked.
"Yeah. We met him back in Kanto. He was hired by one of the missing kids' parents to track him down," Sora said.
"What are you doing here?" Kairi asked.
"Oh, I was on the trail for these three ever since they broke out of prison. The chase led me here, so it wasn't hard to figure out that they were coming here in Hoenn to settle the score with you, but I knew you were going to beat them again," Rocky explained.
"Well, it's good to see you again, Rocky," Sora said.
"Likewise," Rocky said. "Sorry to cut this reunion short, but there's a plane to carry them home. And they'll be slapped with another 5 years for breaking out." He dragged the brothers back with him as an Alakazam uses Psychic to lift the Pokémon back with them to the plane.
After Rocky has left, Nicholai pets his Zangoose and smiled.
"You did a great job, Zangoose. That was an awesome battle," Nicholai said.
"You did well, too, Nicholai," Rei said.
"She's right. You beat those bullies just by working together," Lisia said.
"I actually owe it to all of you. I wouldn't have won it without those practice battles and all of your help," Nicholai said.
"Yeah, but there's one thing that's bugging me right now," Sora said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, what?" May asked.
"How did those guys know where to find us?" Sora asked.
"They probably heard about it from jail, that's how. They could have heard about it from anyone from anywhere," Rei said.
"I guess you're right," Sora said.
If you're wondering how they got out, well, this'll provide the answer.
Meanwhile, over to Kanto's maximum security prison, Rocky has just dropped the Invincible Pokémon Brothers to the warden's office and paid a visit to Stanley Silas's prison cell.
"So, Stanley Silas. You're a real piece of work," Rocky said.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't it that detective who had me thrown in here," Silas said.
"You know, I had an interesting chat with the Invincible Pokémon Brothers on the way over here. They told me that you and those brothers shares a grudge against Sora Ketchum and his girlfriend over because of how they foiled their attacks and about how you lost your hold over Porta Vista," Rocky said.
"Is that so?" Silas asked, stating that he had nothing to do with it.
"Well, yeah. And you had paid off some of the other prisoners to take the prison keys from one of the guards and used it to aide their escape through a mail truck after making some deliveries," Rocky said.
"You got any proof of that?" Silas just grinned as he asked.
"Well, it seems rather plausible since you managed to hear it from your sources. I've been keeping track on your people after you were arrested," Rocky said.
"Humph. You got nothing that proves anything," Silas said.
"Oh, no?" Rocky asked, playing a recording.
"I just gotten word that Sora Ketchum and his female companion are in the Hoenn region as we speak," a male voice spoke from the recording.
"Good. And luck has it that there are three others in here who wants to have revenge on those two. The Invincible Pokémon Brothers are too perfect for the job," Silas's voice said from the recording. Silas just growled as Rocky stopped the recording.
"If I knew those three weren't as 'invincible' as they claimed, I would have hired someone better for the job!" Silas roared.
"Well, that's all good to know, because I just got your confession here on tape," Rocky said, pulling out another voice recorder. It repeated what he just said to Rocky.
"If I knew those three weren't as 'invincible' as they claimed, I would have hired someone better for the job!" Silas's voice said from the recording. Silas was shocked to hear his own voice.
"And thanks to your little confession, your stay in this lovely establishment has been extended. That's if the judge hears it," Rocky said, walking so casually, making Silas roar in anger.
"THIS ISN'T OVER! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE DEAD! D-E-A-D! DEAD! I'LL GET YOU AND THOSE TWO KIDS FOR THIS! YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL RING ALL THREE OF YOUR THROATS AND MAKE THEM POP LIKE WHITE HEADS ON PROM NIGHT!" Silas roared. His angered voice echoed although the prison.
Back over to Hoenn in Nicholai's camp. He and Sora got back into position for their battle.
"Sorry I can't use Zangoose for this, but I still have one more to use," Nicholai said.
"Don't worry about it. Just give me everything you've got," Sora said, taking out his Pokéball.
"Pokémon change!" Nicholai yelled as he changed into his Zigzagoon suit. "Zigzagoon! Go!" His Pokéball opened and his Zigzagoon came out to battle. Sora threw his.
"Go! Absol!" Sora called out. His Pokéball opened and his Absol emerged from inside, ready to battle.
"Zigzagoon! Use Headbutt!" Nicholai ordered. Zigzagoon charged right at Absol.
"Okay, Absol! Use Quick Attack!" Sora called out. Absol used Quick Attack and lands a hit on Zigzagoon. "Good job, Absol!"
"Absol!" Absol said.
"I'm impressed. Your Absol is strong," Nicholai complemented.
"Thanks," Sora said. "Absol! Use Slash!" Absol came right at Zigzagoon.
"Use Dig!" Nicholai ordered. Zigzagoon dug into the earth to avoid Absol's claws.
"Be on your toes, Absol! Zigzagoon will be coming out at any moment!" Sora said. Absol kept his eyes opened. The Tiny Raccoon Pokémon came out and lands a hit.
"Use Pin Missile!" Nicholai ordered. Zigzagoon fired Pin Missile right at the Disaster Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Absol dodged Zigzagoon's Pin Missile. "Use Razor Wind!" Absol began to build up some wind energy from his horn.
"Use Pin Missile!" Nicholai ordered. Zigzagoon fired another Pin Missile, but Absol unleashed Razor Wind, hitting Zigzagoon on the mark, resulting in a knockout. Nicholai called Zigzagoon back and smiled. "You battled awesomely, Zigzagoon. You've earned yourself a good, long rest." He walked up to Sora and shook his hand. "You're a better Trainer than I remember."
"Same with you, Nicholai. You're going to do just fine in your rematch," Sora said.
After the battle, Nicholai said goodbye to the group as they continued on their way towards Mauville City to reach the Battle Dome and for Sora to earn his next Frontier Symbol before Sora earns his fifth Hoenn Gym Badge. Stay tuned if you want to see more excitement coming along.