Episode 303: Sora's Double Trouble
After sealing Groudon and Kyogre back to where they came and the downfall of Team Magma and Team Aqua, Sora and his friends have went back to how things were before the two evil organizations found the legendary Pokémon they've been searching for. Sora has exchanged Wailord for Dusknoir since he's a Ghost-type Pokémon, so Sora wanted to be ready for anything the Gym Leader can throw at him.
Meanwhile, over to the World That Never Was, Xemnas was made aware of Team Magma and Team Aqua's downfall.
"First Team Rocket falls and now Teams Magma and Aqua have been dissolved," Xemnas said.
"Yes, Lord Xemnas. They were close to the total destruction of the world they were close to conquering only to be stopped by our enemies. And one of them is the boy who foiled Greevil and the resurrected Shadow Pokémon plan," Saïx said.
"Their downfall was inevitable regardless whether they succeed or failed. The same can be said for the Shadow Pokémon project in the Orre region. Greevil has served his purpose," Xemnas said.
"Their downfall wouldn't have affected our plans for Kingdom Hearts," Saïx said.
"Indeed not, Saïx," Xemnas told his second-in-command. "And we do not have long. With the hearts we have collected, we are closer to our ultimate goal, but we still need to require additional hearts, and the elimination of Sora is essential."
"Yes, Lord Xemnas. I will prepare right away," Saïx said.
Back in Mossdeep City, Sora has taken some time to train for his gym battle when he's approached by a Trainer, wearing black and clothing, matching that of a Galarian Zigzagoon.
"You training for a Gym Battle at the Mossdeep City Gym?" The Trainer said.
"Yeah. Why?" Sora asked.
"Because that's what I'm doing, too, and I could use a warm-up," the Trainer said.
"Okay, how would you wanna go through with this?" Sora asked.
"Make it three-on-three," the Trainer said.
"Alright, you're on," Sora said, accepting the challenge.
"Glad to hear it!" The Trainer said, taking out a Dusk Ball and threw it. "Go! Zigzagoon!" His Pokéball opened and a Galarian Zigzagoon emerged from inside, ready to battle. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Swellow!" Sora called out. His Swellow emerged from inside and flew around.
"Zigzagoon! Use Snarl!" The Trainer ordered. Zigzagoon unleashed a Snarl right at the Swallow Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Aerial Ace!" Sora ordered. Swellow narrowly avoids Zigzagoon's Snarl and dashed at Zigzagoon, landing a hit. "Wing Attack!" Swellow smacked Zigzagoon with one of his wings.
"Zigzagoon! Use Thunderbolt!" The Trainer ordered. Zigzagoon fired a Thunderbolt right at Swellow, dealing some heavy damage. "That was great! Give that Swellow a Take Down!" Zigzagoon rushes at Swellow with a Take Down.
"Swellow! Double Team!" Sora ordered. Swellow made several copies of himself and misses his target completely.
"Thunderbolt! Shock them all!" The Trainer ordered. Zigzagoon unleashed a Thunderbolt right at the many Swellow, but Zigzagoon's Thunderbolt phased through all of them. "What the?! Where'd it go?" To answer his question, Swellow came flying down at the Galarian Tiny Raccoon Pokémon. "Watch out!" Zigzagoon looked up as Swellow was flying towards it.
"Use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Swellow dashed at Zigzagoon, landing a hit. "Use Air Slash!" Swellow flapped his wings and unleashed a blade of air, hitting Zigzagoon, knocking it out. The Trainer called his Zigzagoon back and took out his next Duskball.
"That was just the warm-up! But my next one is a heavy hitter! Linoone! Go!" The Trainer called out. His Duskball opened and his Linoone emerged from inside, ready to battle. Sora calls back his Swellow and he took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, Combusken! Go!" Sora called out. His Pokéball opened and Combusken emerged from inside. "Combusken! Use Flame Charge!" Combusken charges at Linoone with a Flame Charge.
"Linoone! Dig!" The Trainer ordered. Linoone dug underground to avoid Combusken's attack.
"That Linoone will come out from anywhere, so stay alert," Sora said. Combusken nodded Linoone emerged from the ground very quickly before Sora or Combusken could react in time.
"Fury Swipes!" The Trainer ordered. Linoone slashed at Combusken four times. "Shadow Claw!" Linoone slashed at the Young Fowl Pokémon.
"Use Sky Uppercut!" Sora ordered. Combusken gave Linoone an uppercut, sending Combusken flying. Linoone gets back up on its feet and shook its head.
"Linoone! Use Shadow Claw again!" The Trainer ordered. Linoone came at Combusken with another Shadow Claw.
"Dodge and use Double Kick!" Sora ordered. Combusken lands a couple of kicks, dealing some heavy damage. Linoone was knocked out. The Trainer called Linoone back and took out another Dusk Ball.
"Okay, here's my third and final Pokémon! Come on out, Obstagoon!" The Trainer called out as he threw it.
Out came of the Dusk Ball is a black-and-white, bipedal Pokémon. Its head sits forward of its body on a long, thick neck; it has a pointed snout like a badger, with its long tongue that frequently hangs out of its mouth. It has a thicker coat of gray fur around its forearms and lower legs, as well as around its back, and most of its chest like a vest. Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Obstagoon, the Blocking Pokémon
The evolved form of Linoone Galarian Form
Type: Dark/Normal
Obstagoon crosses its arms as a way to block enemy attacks. It is said that this evolution is a result of experience of several battles. It maintains this pose to make is look threatening and unleashes a loud shout to intimidate its opponent.
"So the Linoone in the Galar region can evolve while Linoone living here in Hoenn can't," Sora said in his thoughts. He called Combusken back. He looked at Pikachu. "You up for a battle, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Okay, Pikachu! Go!" Sora said. Pikachu went right into battle against Obstagoon. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt right at Obstagoon.
"Obstruct!" The Trainer ordered. Obstagoon crosses its arms, creating a huge white X. Pikachu's Thunderbolt bounces right off of the Blocking Pokémon's arms, much to Sora's surprise.
"How did it do that?!" Sora exclaimed in shock.
"First time seeing Obstruct? Allow me to educate you. Obstruct is a protection move that blocks an opponent's attack. It works the same way as Protect and Detect," the Trainer explained.
"That's impressive, man. But it's not over yet. Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran around.
"Obstagoon! Use Cross Chop!" The Trainer ordered. Obstagoon crosses its arms and moves in to chop Pikachu. Both Pokémon came at each other, landing a hit on each other. Both Pikachu and Obstagoon have landed a hit onto each other.
"Use Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu swings his tail, giving off a metallic glow. Pikachu lands a hit onto Obstagoon in the face. "Now, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt right at Obstagoon.
"Use Obstruct!" The Trainer ordered. Obstagoon crosses its arms again, making another X. Pikachu's Thunderbolt hits Obstagoon's arms, but the Blocking Pokémon is still standing on his feet. "Nice try."
"Quick Attack and then Iron Tail, but go for the legs this time!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran with a Quick Attack and Iron Tail combo, landing a hit onto Obstagoon on the legs before Obstagoon could react. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt.
"Obstruct!" The Trainer ordered. Before Obstagoon could use it in time, Obstagoon is struck hard by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, resulting in a shock. Obstagoon was now knocked out. "No way! I lost!" He rushes over to Obstagoon and helps it up. "You okay, bud?"
"Goon," Obstagoon weakly replied.
"Blimey! You're a toughie, aren't you?" The Trainer asked.
"Yeah, but you're pretty tough, too. The way you delivered those moves is topnotch," Sora said. This made the Trainer smile.
"Thanks, mate. Lots of luck in that Gym battle. Not that you'll need it," the Trainer said.
Watching the battle, Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Riku, Naminé, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Michael, Max, Lisia, Angel, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, Xipak, Celeste, Eevee, Azurill, and Marill are standing outside. Michael was very impressed by the way Sora battled.
"Wow, that was awesome," Michael said with awe.
"Better than you thought, Michael?" Karen asked.
"In person than when I watched him on TV," Michael said. He smiled. "I'm even more inspired."
After the battle, Sora had Pikachu, Combusken, and Swellow checked in when Michael walked up to Sora.
"Hey, Michael," Sora greeted. "What's up?"
"Sora, I have been thinking. Well, I have been wondering maybe after you have your Gym battle, I was wondering if I could battle you sometime?" Michael asked.
"Sure thing, Michael. You just have to ask," Sora said.
"Awesome. And I'll hold you up to that, Sora," Michael said.
After having the Pokémon healed up from their injuries in battle, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Michael, Max, Lisia, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Eevee, Azurill, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, and Marill headed for the Mossdeep City Gym. They found the Mossdeep City Gym at last.
"This has to be the place," Brendan said.
"Yeah. And it looks like it's fit for Psychic-type Pokémon," Leaf said.
"We could step in and see how it is then," Riku said.
"Right," Sora said.
With that said, everyone stepped inside the Gym and they saw that the inside looks more like a space museum.
"This is a Gym?" Max asked.
"Looks more like an observatory," Naminé said.
"Yeah, but where are the Gym Leaders?" Ventus asked.
"Funny you should ask," a boy's voice asked.
"We're a lot closer than you think," a girl's voice asked.
Alarmed and surprised, the group looked around.
"Who said that?" Sora asked.
"We did," the boy and girl voices said in unison. A searchlight comes on. Walking up are two kids, one being a girl and the other being a boy. They were almost identical appearance-wise. They both have dark blue hair, fair skin, and gray eyes. They both wore an outfit that consists of a puffy-sleeved white and blue shirt with two stars on it and black cuffs, matching blue pants with a planet-like symbol on the thighs, and blue flats. The only difference is the two stars on their chests is that the boy has green stars, while the girl has magenta ones.
"Welcome..." the boy said.
"...to the Mossdeep City Gym," the girl finished.
"Who are you?" Brendan asked.
"My name is Tate," the boy introduced himself.
"And I am Liza," the girl introduced herself.
"And we are the Mossdeep City Gym Leaders," the twins said in unison. Sora flinched at the claim.
"Wait, you're both the Gym Leaders?!" Sora exclaimed in shock.
"You sound surprised," Liza said.
"That's the reaction we often get when we get some challengers," Tate said.
"So which one of you is going to be challenging us?" Liza asked.
"That'll be me and him," Sora said, pointing to Brendan.
"Two challengers?" Tate asked.
"But we can only take one of you at a time, so which will it be?" Liza asked.
"Sora, why don't you go first? I'm still working on my training," Brendan whispered.
"Kay," Sora whispered back. "I'll take you both on that challenge."
"That's what we thought," Liza said.
"What's your name?" Tate asked.
"My name is Sora, and I come from Pallet Town in the Kanto region," Sora said.
"Alright, Sora of Pallet Town," Tate said.
"But before we begin, we should warn you that the rules here are different than what you're probably used to," Liza said.
"How different?" Sora asked.
"You're going to be battling the both of us, so this'll be a double battle," Tate explained.
"Normally, double battles states that you can use up to four Pokémon, but this Gym you're only allowed to use two of yours while we'll be using one each," Liza explained.
"That sounds simple enough," Sora said.
"Maybe, but it's going to be harder than you think," Tate said.
"I'm ready for anything you two can throw at me," Sora said with a determined expression.
"He sounds serious, sis," Tate said.
"Yeah, he does," Liza agreed. "We can get started when you're ready."
Just then, a woman with dark blue hair wearing a lime green blouse, a cyan long skirt and a pair of glasses came walking in. She wore a pair of white heels.
"Hi, Tate, hi, Liza," the woman said. Everyone turned to see her.
"Hi, mom," Tate and Liza greeted.
"Mom?" The rest of the group asked.
"Yeah, that's our mom," Tate said.
"Come to watch us battle?" Liza asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Tate and Liza's mother said.
Not too long, the group sat in the stands as the battle was about to begin. The woman introduced herself as Rachel and joined the group by sitting with them. The referee stepped in to begin the match.
"The battle between the Gym Leaders Tate and Liza and Sora from Pallet Town, the challenger is about to begin! The battle will be a double battle, so the Gym Leaders will be using one Pokémon each while the challenger will be using two! However, neither the Gym Leaders or the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon during the battle. The battle will be over when both of either the Gym Leaders or the challenger's Pokémon are unable to battle further! Is that understood?" The referee asked.
"Yes," Sora, Tate, and Liza agreed.
"Furthermore, Sora, the Mossdeep City Gym battlefield includes not just the playing field you're used to, but also the planets floating in mid air," the referee explained.
"How do those planets affect the battle?" Naminé asked.
"You'll have to see it for yourselves, kids. It'll be interesting," Rachel said.
"If you say so," Ventus said.
"I'm glad I get to see Sora in a Gym battle again," Karen said.
"You watched your brother in a Gym battle before, Karen?" Max asked.
"I sure did. It was back in Ecruteak City. The Gym Leader there went by the name of Morty and he used Ghost-type Pokémon, and it was Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. Sora managed to pull it off with the use of his Dark-type Pokémon, but he didn't find it easy," Karen said.
"Pikachu," Blossom said.
"Yeah, I remember that," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Now, choose your Pokémon and begin the battle!" The referee called out. Tate and Liza took out their Pokéballs and threw them.
"Solrock! Come on out!" Tate shouted.
"Lunatone! I choose you!" Liza shouted.
Both Solrock and Lunatone emerged from inside, ready to battle. Sora thought of using Dusknoir, but he'd be an easy target due to his slow speed, so he had the perfect two in mind.
"Okay! Sableye, Absol! Go!" Sora called out. Absol and Sableye both emerged from inside.
"Looks like Sora has finally made up his mind. He's sending out Sableye and Absol! They're both Dark-types!" Max said.
"And everybody knows Psychic-type moves don't affect Dark-type Pokémon like Sableye and Absol," May said.
"That may be true, but there's always a way around weaknesses," Riku said.
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"Riku's right. Those two could have some tricks up their sleeves," Ash said.
"Solrock! Use Stone Edge!" Tate ordered.
"Lunatone! You use Stone Edge too!" Liza ordered.
Both Solrock and Lunatone used Stone Edge at the same time and the rocks heads right towards both opponents.
"Sableye! Dodge and use Shadow Claw! Absol! You block with your Dark Pulse!" Sora ordered. Sableye avoids Stone Edge as Absol blasts the stones away with Dark Pulse. Sableye swipes at Solrock with Shadow Claw.
"Dodge it!" Tate called out. Solrock avoids Sableye and slams into one of the planets instead. "Now use Sandstorm!" Solrock uses Sandstorm on Sableye and got pelted by the sand attack.
"Lunatone! Use Ice Beam on Crawdaunt!" Liza ordered. Lunatone fires Ice Beam right at the Disaster Pokémon.
"Detect!" Sora ordered. Absol's eye twinkled and avoided Lunatone's Ice Beam. "Use Dark Pulse!" Absol fired Dark Pulse right at Lunatone.
"Solrock! Use Psychic on the rocks to block!" Tate ordered. Solrock manipulates the rocks to shield Lunatone from Absol's attack.
"Thanks, Tate," Liza said.
"Anytime, Liza," Tate said.
"Sableye! Use your Power Gem on Lunatone!" Sora ordered. Sableye fires Power Gem at the moon-shaped Metoerite Pokémon.
"Dodge it, Lunatone!" Liza ordered. Lunatone avoids Sableye's Power Gem with ease.
"Man, this is even harder than I thought it was gonna be!" Sora said. "Sableye! Use Power Gem again! Sableye fired another Power Gem.
"Solrock! Block with Psychic and send it back to Sableye!" Tate ordered. it blocks Sableye's Power Gem and sends them back right at the Darkness Pokémon, getting pelted by his own attack.
"Whoa! Solrock just used Psychic to send Sableye's Power Gem back at Sableye!" Michael said.
"Well, Psychic wouldn't have affected Sableye, so they used an offensive move to block," Kairi said.
"That was good thinking using Psychic to block Power Gem," Liza complimented her brother.
"Thanks. I know you would have done the same thing," Tate said. "Ready for our combo attack?"
"Sure am," Liza nodded. "Lunatone! Use your Ice Beam!"
"Solrock! You use Solar Beam!" Tate ordered.
Solrock and Lunatone fire their beam attacks right at the same exact time. Knowing there was no way of blocking it and how powerful they were in a combination attack both Sableye and Absol would be taken out right at the exact same time, unless he thought of something fast. Before the combo attack could land a hit, Crawdaut grabs Sableye and headed for the hole he dug earlier in the battle and headed inside the hole. Both attacks had landed a hit. Sora and Pikachu braced themselves as the blast had occurred. Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Michael, Max, Lisia, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Eevee, Azurill, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, and Marill did the same thing. Tate and Liza smiled, feeling confident that their attacks had landed. It creates a giant dust cloud, covering the whole battlefield.
"That should do it," Liza said.
"The end of the match!" Tate added. The expression of the twins had changed when their have jumped out of the way at the last minute. "What?!"
"No way!" Liza gasped.
"They avoided that?!" Tate exclaimed.
"How could that be?!" Liza exclaimed.
"Sableye and Absol are okay!" Lyra cheered.
"Marill!" Marill said.
"Yes, that was close," Aqua said.
"It sure was. Solrock and Lunatone are more in sync than I thought," Terra said.
"Sora's gonna turn it around, isn't he?" Ventus asked.
"Yeah, but he just gotta figure out how," Brendan said.
"And I hope he finds it fast," Lisia said.
Sora looked at the battlefield and saw how Solrock and Lunatone uses the battlefield.
"Solrock and Lunatone are Pokémon from outer space, so they feel right at home among the planets, turning it into a third-dimensional battle. That must be how they were able to overcome me so easily. Maybe I could use the battlefield to my advantage and use it against them, but how do I do it?" Sora asked in his thoughts. He looked at the planets. "The planets. I could have Sableye and Absol use the planets to their advantage!" Sora grinned.
"Hey, I know that smirk. Sora's got an idea," Karen said.
"Maybe he found a way to turn it around," Lyra said.
"You know, you said he always bounces back whenever he's in a corner, so I'm curious to see how high he bounces back," Michael said.
"Sableye! Get on Absol's back!" Sora called out. Sableye does get on Absol's back. "Okay, Absol! Giddyup!" Absol ran across the battlefield like a horse.
"Look at that! Sableye's riding on Absol like a Rapidash!" Ethan said.
"Yippee ki-yay! Way to go, Sora!" Ventus exclaimed.
"Pika, Pika!" Sparky added.
"Could he just be toying with us?" Tate asked.
"He's gotta be. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of this outrageous plan. Lunatone! Ice Beam! Freeze all those bubbles!" Lunatone fires Ice Beam to freeze the two Dark-types. Sora knew the twins were playing right in his hands.
"Absol! Jump!" Sora called out. Absol jumped before Lunatone's Ice Beam could land a hit on the both of them. "Now, climb on those planets!" Absol uses his claws to climb up the planets.
"What are those two doing?" May asked.
"If I know Sora, he's using the battlefield to his advantage!" Leaf said.
"She's right! He must have figured out that Solrock and Lunatone were using the battlefield to their advantage since they both came from outer space, so he would use the planets as a way as stepping stones," Ash said.
"That's our Sora," Kairi said.
"Sora figured out how to use the battlefield, kids. How will the two of you respond?" Rachel asked in her thoughts.
"I gotta admit, that's a clever plan. I didn't think he'd figure it out," Liza said.
"Neither did I. But it won't work for long. Solrock! Use Sandstorm!" Tate ordered. Solrock floated upwards and unleashed Sandstorm all around the battlefield. "Even the planets won't help him out, because Solrock and I practiced how to engulf the entire battlefield, so there's no place they can hide!"
"Nice one!" Liza praised her brother.
"Absol! Air Slash, but make it a big one!" Sora ordered. Absol began to build up energy in his horn.
"That isn't going to work, Sora! Your Absol's Air Slash isn't going to hit either Lunatone or Solrock!" Liza said.
"Lunatone and Solrock aren't what I'm aiming for!" Sora said. This confuses everyone, except for Riku. "Now!" Absol unleashed a powerful Air Slash and he uses it to cut through Solrock's Sandstorm.
"My Sandstorm!" Tate exclaimed.
"Okay, Sableye! Shadow Ball!" Sora ordered. Sableye forms a ball of shadow and threw it at Solrock. "Absol! Use Night Slash! Sableye! Use Shadow Claw!" Absol and Sableye slashed at the two Meteorite Pokémon, dealing some heavy damage. The two of them fell on the ground. Solrock and Lunatone struggled to get up, but fell down out of exhaustion.
"Solrock and Lunatone are both unable to battle! Absol and Sableye wins! The winner of the battle is the challenger, Sora from Pallet Town!" The referee announced.
"Yes! He won!" Ventus cheered for his cousin.
"Like there was any doubt," Karen said.
"Just watching the battle has gotten me so very fired up!" Brendan said.
"Me too," Michael said.
Tate and Liza walk up to Sora with a chest in Tate's possession. Sableye and Absol stood by his side.
"Congratulations, Sora. The way you handled your Pokémon in a double battle has shown us what a great team they are," Liza said.
"Battling you was load of fun and we both enjoyed it so very much," Tate added.
"So, here's a little something to prove that you battled the Mossdeep City Gym and won," Liza said.
"We're happy to give you the Mind Badge," Tate said, opening the chest and handing him a badge shaped like a heart. The top is colored pink and the bottom is colored yellow. There is a dark pink pearl in the center. Sora accepts his badge.
"Thanks, you guys. I gotta be honest, I thought you had me when you fired Solar Beam and Ice Beam right at the same time. And I could see why you two are the Gym Leaders in Mossdeep City," Sora said. The twins smiled warmly. "Now, the next stop is in Sootopolis City for the final Hoenn Gym battle. Not only that, but the seventh Frontier facility is still waiting for me."
Everyone stepped down from the bleachers and approached Sora.
"Seven down, one to go," Ash pointed out.
"And since we know Wallace what Pokémon Wallace uses, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the next Gym Leader uses Water-type Pokémon," Ethan said.
"Yeah, and I gotta train hard for the upcoming battles," Sora said.
Now with seven Gym Badges earned, Sora only needs one more to enter the Hoenn Pokémon League. Even though Wallace is no longer the Gym Leader there, he knows he won't find it so easy. He just needs to work on a plan on how he's going to win his eighth and final Gym Badge and enter the Hoenn Pokémon League. But there's still the matter of the final Frontier Brain to contend with and Kairi has one more Contest Ribbon to earn, so everything will depend on these final battles, so stay tuned if you want to see what else happens.