Episode 324: Bring It All Hoenn!
Shortly after saying a tearful goodbye to Manaphy, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Wes, Rui, Michael, Max, Lisia, Zinnia, Rei, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, Marill, and Aster are being taken to Ever Grande City for the Hoenn Pokémon League by Lizabeth and her family.
"Thanks again for taking us the rest of the way, Lizabeth," Sora said.
"It's not a problem, Sora. It's the least we can do," Lizabeth said.
"And without you, this bit of knowledge about our ancestors wouldn't have given to us," Meredith said.
"We should reach it within the next hour," Shep said.
Meanwhile, Jackie stood on a boat, looking at the remains of Phantom's submarine as his crew are being apprehended by the police. Officer Jenny approached the pirate captain with a pair of handcuffs.
"Phantom the pirate, you're under arrest," Officer Jenny said. Phantom growled in anger as Officer Jenny cuffed his wrists.
Meanwhile, the Blue Lagoon has reached Ever Grande City, the sight of the Hoenn Pokémon League. The Blue Lagoon arrived at the docks.
"Thanks for the lift," Rei said.
"You're welcome," Kyle said.
"Sora, Brendan, we'll be rooting for the both of you," Lizabeth said.
"We'll try our best," Brendan said.
"What are you guys gonna do now?" Ethan asked.
"We're going to head back to the mainland and set up our next show," Meredith said.
"Well, if you're ever in Kanto, we'll be sure to catch your show again," Kris said.
"You can count on it, Kris," Lizabeth said.
The family bids the group farewell when they took off. They went to find the Pokémon Center just so Sora and Brendan could register and they see a familiar face.
"Hey, Wally!" Brendan called out. Wally turned to see his friends and he smiled.
"Brendan, May, Sora, Kairi, and the rest. I was hoping to see you here," Wally said.
"Likewise, Wally," Ash said.
"When did you get here?" Zinnia asked.
"I just got here and I was just on my way to the Pokémon Center to wait for you," Wally said.
"Why don't you come with us since we're heading that way anyway," Max said.
"That's a solid idea, Max. I'd like that," Wally said.
With that said, the group went off to find the Pokémon Center and they came across Yugi, Téa, Joey, Tristan, Mai, Bakura, Duke, and Serenity in the Pokémon Center.
"Sora, Kairi," Yugi said.
"It's about time you got here," Tristan said.
"Hey, Yugi, Téa," Sora greeted.
"We haven't seen you since the Grand Festival," Téa said.
"Are Tai, Davis, Takato, Takuya, and the rest of them here, too?" Lisia asked.
"They got here at the same time as us," Yugi said.
"And they're checking out the sights of the city," Duke said.
"That's actually a good idea. Besides, there are some restaurants in Ever Grande City we should check out," May said, holding out a guidebook.
"That's typical May," Max said.
"It didn't take nearly as long for her to bounce back," Zinnia said.
"Whismur!" Aster said.
"Where did you get that book, May?" Ethan asked.
"She actually got that from Slateport City just before the Grand Festival even started. Ever since we became a couple, I know she wanted to pick some places for us to hang out at for dates, and that includes where to eat," Brendan said.
"That's actually a fun idea, May," Xion said.
"So, Master, won't you be joining us? Plenty of places to check out," May offered, making Rei smile.
"Thank you, it's very sweet of you to offer, but I'm going to stay behind and have Nurse Joy give my Kingdra a check up. I might have put some strain on her," Rei said.
"And I'm going to separate from you guys for a bit. There's someone Aster and I are meeting with," Zinnia said.
"Whismur," Aster said.
"Sure thing, Zinnia," Ash said.
"What you guys?" Lyra asked.
"Thanks, but we'll be here for a while in case the DigiDestinded come here," Yugi said.
"We'll tell that you came by when we see them," Bakura said.
"Okay," Kris said.
"We'll see ya later," Leaf said.
With that said, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Wes, Rui, Michael, Max, Wally, Lisia, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, and Marill stepped out of the Pokemon Center to head out to eat. Zinnia and Aster stepped out to go on their own way.
A little later, Zinnia and Aster walked down the streets of Ever Grande City when they crossed paths with Jay.
"Well, we meet again," Jay said in a flirting tone.
"Just like I promised," Zinnia said, also in a flirting tone.
Meanwhile, after stepping out, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Wes, Rui, Michael, Max, Wally, Lisia, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, and Marill stepped out as Rei stayed behind to have her Kingdra checked in.
"So, May, where exactly are you taking us?" Kairi asked.
"I'm actually taking all of you to a place called the Ever Grande Noodle Nosh. It's one of the best noodle restaurants in the entire Hoenn region!" May said.
"Where did you hear all that stuff, May? Was it the guidebook?" Ethan asked.
"It sure is," May proudly proclaimed, holding out her guidebook. "The Gourmet's Guidebook to Restaurants and Eateries For the True Connoisseur."
"That makes a lot of sense. It'll he nice to have a bite to eat, May," Riku said.
"I can bet my Keyblade that you planning of shopping until you drop," Ethan said.
"Not only that, but during the Hoenn Pokémon League, I'm going to be checking out one of the Hoenn region's finest eateries! I just love this kind of thing!" May said with delight. "Noodle Nosh, here we come!" She turned to her friends. "Let's go."
"I don't know about you, but those noodles actually sound very tempting," Ethan said.
"I am getting hungry, too," Leaf said.
With that said, they followed May to eat the Noodle Nosh, but they ended up in the wrong neighborhood.
"This doesn't look right, May. What was the name of that place again?" Max asked.
"It's called the Noodle Nosh. These old neighborhoods can look kinda funky at first glance, but that's where you find great restaurants and clothing shops. Usually run by eccentric people," May said.
Unknown to any of the group, a murder of Murkrow are watching them from the rooftop, eyeing Sora's necklace because it looks so shiny.
(To those who don't know this, but a group of crows is called a murder)
"May, are you sure we're on the right track?" Riku asked.
"Sure, I'm sure," May said.
"Lemme see that guidebook for a sec," Riku said as May hands him the guidebook. He looked at the date it was published. "I see the problem. The book's out of date."
"That explains why it was so cheap," May sighed. Just then, a Murkrow dove down, snatching the book.
"What was that?!" Michael asked.
"Look!" Rui said.
She saw the Murkrow flying around.
"Oh, great! We just stumbled on Murkrow territory," Ethan said.
"And I think I know what they're after," Sora said, placing his hand on his necklace.
"Your necklace?" Wally asked.
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Murkrow loves anything that's shiny. And Sora's necklace is shiny," Riku said.
"Well, they're not getting this shiny! Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered.
"Xipak! You use Thunderbolt, too!" Roxas ordered.
Both Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at the Murkrow, sending some of them away, but more kept on coming.
"There's more of them!" Terra said.
"Eevee! Shadow Ball!" Riku ordered.
"Angel! Swift!" Kairi ordered.
"Celeste! You use Swift, too!" Xion ordered.
The three Eevee fired Swift and Shadow Ball at the Darkness Pokémon, sending them away, but more kept on attacking.
"They're not letting up!" Lyra said.
"Marill!" Marill said.
"Meowth! Fury Swipes!" A voice shouted. A small figure jumped out of nowhere and swipes its claws at the crow-like Pokémon. It turns out to be a Meowth wearing a black feathered cap, a red bandana around its neck and a pair of brown boots.
"A Meowth!" Max said.
"But where did that Meowth come from?" Naminé asked.
Stepping forward is a young man with fair skin, brown hair, and black eyes. He wore an opened dark green jacket with a dark magenta shirt, olive pants, and blue shoes with white streaks.
"Meowth! Fury Swipes again!" The young man ordered. The Meowth swipes its claws at the attacking Murkrow, making them all retreat.
"Wow, that was amazing," Kris said.
"One Meowth drove away all those Murkrow with just one shot," Ash said.
"That was a close one. Are you folks all in one piece?" The young man asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you," Sora said.
"You saved an important item from those Murkrow," Karen said.
"I had a feeling I'd see you here, Tyson," Wally said.
"Tyson?" The group all asked.
"You know this guy?" Ventus asked.
"Yeah, this is Tyson. He's a Trainer who I met in Mauville City a while back," Wally said.
"Are these your friends, Wally?" Tyson asked.
"Yeah, they are," Wally said.
"My name's Sora."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"I'm Kairi, and this is Angel."
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Riku."
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"My name's Naminé."
"Azurill," Azurill chirped.
"I'm Roxas, and this is Xipak."
"Pikachu," Xipak said.
"Xion."
"Eevee," Celeste said.
"My name's Karen, and this is Blossom."
"Pika," Blossom said.
"I'm Ash."
"I'm Leaf."
"My name's Ethan."
"I'm Kris."
"My name's Lyra."
"Marill," Marill said.
"My name's Brendan," Brendan said.
"I'm May."
"I'm Wes."
"My name's Rui."
"I'm Michael."
"My name's Ventus, but call me Ven, and this is Sparky."
"Pika," Sparky said.
"I'm Terra, and this is Thor."
"Pikachu," Thor said.
"My name's Aqua, and this is Eclair."
"Pikachu," Eclair said.
"My name's Max."
"I'm Lisia."
"Nice to meet you," Tyson said. He looked at Sora and he smiled. "Hey, I know you. You're that Trainer who battled and beat Tucker in the Battle Dome. You used a Dragonite and a Corphish against his Swampert and Arcanine, if I'm not mistaken."
"You saw that match?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, I was at the edge of my seat the whole time. It looked like he had you, but you then turned the tables on him. You really impressed me," Tyson said.
"Thanks," Sora said. Tyson noticed the guidebook and picked it up.
"Hey, the Evergrande Noodle Nosh! Don't tell me you're looking for it, too!" Tyson said.
"We kinda are, and that's how we ended up being nearly pecked to death by those Murkrow," Lisia said.
"So you're looking for the Noodle Nosh, huh?" Ethan asked.
"I am. Why don't I treat you for some lunch since you're good friends of Wally's?" Tyson offered.
"That'll be great," Rui said.
They managed to find the Noodle Nosh thanks to Tyson. Kairi had provided some Pokémon food for Tyson's Meowth as it was eating along with Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, Marill, and Aster. Meowth took a bite of Kairi's Pokémon food and instantly liked the taste.
As they ate, they filled Tyson in about Sora and Brendan participating in the Hoenn Pokémon League along with Wally. And they told him that Sora participated in the Battle Frontier and turned down the offer to he a Frontier Brain. Brendan asked Wally if Tyson knew about them being Keyblade wielders, but Wally assured him that he didn't tell Tyson about it.
"Small world, huh? Who would have thought you'd be part of the Hoenn Pokémon League, too. That makes us rivals, doesn't it?" Tyson asked.
"Guess it does," Brendan said.
"I gotta say, your Meowth is really awesome," Ventus said.
"It's obvious your Meowth was raised very well. I can tell just by how strong it looks," Riku said.
"Thanks. I'm actually surprised to see Meowth chowing down on someone else's Pokémon food like that. You gotta be one heck of a Pokémon Breeder, Kairi," Tyson said.
"Thanks, but I'm not a Pokémon Breeder. I'm actually a Pokémon Coordinator. I was taught by my parents about caring for Pokémon by giving them specific food for their diet. What I gave your Meowth is something I figured is something that cat Pokémon would like," Kairi said.
"That's good to know. You got no idea what a picky eater I got over here. My Meowth is actually strong enough to evolve into a Persian, but I think he's just too stubborn," Tyson said.
"I know what you mean, Tyson. My Eevee is strong enough to evolve into a Vaporeon, a Flareon, a Jolteon, an Umbreon, an Espeon, a Glaceon, a Leafeon, or even a Sylveon, but he refuses to ever evolve, and I respected that. I figured my Eevee is perfect the way he is," Riku said.
"It's the same thing with Pikachu and Angel. We decided that they didn't evolve at all," Sora said.
"I gotta say, you're lucky, Sora," Tyson said.
"How am I lucky?" Sora asked.
"Well, you got a girlfriend who's got all that breeding knowledge, and she's not even a Pokémon Breeder, keeping tabs on your Pokémon's health the way she does," Tyson said.
"Not only that, but Kairi's a great cook, too," Sora said.
"Yeah?" Tyson asked, intrigued.
"It's true. She makes all sorts of dishes that tickles my brother's taste buds," Karen said.
"Maybe we should invite you over for dinner if you ever want to try it," May said.
"And I'll be sure to make something special," Kairi said.
"That's a great idea. I always have my eyes opened for some awesome food," Tyson said.
"Really?" Xion asked.
"Yeah. I'm usually traveling all around for Gym battles, but I figured I'd keep my eyes opened for some of the local food spots while I'm at it," Tyson said.
"Sounds like May," Max said.
"I think I just met my soul mate," May said.
"Hey, I thought I was your soul mate, May," Brendan said, feeling hurt.
"Oh, I didn't mean that, Tyson, I mean you are, but-" May paused.
"You sure walked into that one, May," Zinnia said.
"Sure has," Ash agreed, making everyone laugh.
By the end of the meal, everyone were drinking the remainder of the soup and they gave off a satisfied sigh.
"That really hits the spot," Roxas said.
"It sure does," Tyson agreed. He looked at the clock and he exclaims in shock. "Oh, no! Look what time it is!" Tyson and his Meowth rushed out of the Noodle Nosh. "Sorry to eat and run, but we gotta get to the Pokémon Center, right away!"
"Meowth!" Meowth said.
"It was great seeing you again, Wally! And great meeting all of you, too! But we gotta get there fast!" Tyson said. He looked at Meowth. "Let's step on it, Meowth!"
"Meowth!" Meowth agreed.
They rushed off to the direction of the Pokémon Center and they follow him.
"Where's the fire?" Sora asked.
"The torch will be at the Pokémon Center at any moment, and I gotta get there!" Tyson said.
"The lighting of the torch?! Then if it's important, then we gotta get there, too!" Sora said.
With that said, everyone ran along Tyson and his Meowth to light the official torch.
Over to the Pokémon Center, everyone is eagerly awaiting the torch's arrival. Standing at the entrance of the Pokémon Center is Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and President Goodshow.
"It won't be long now," Nurse Joy said.
"Thank goodness. I hate this waiting," President Goodshow said.
"Officers, this is Officer Jenny. The torch is arriving soon, so I want everyone at your posts right away," Officer Jenny said.
A few moments later, police officers arrive with the torch.
"And right on time!" President Goodshow said with a smile.
"Mr. Goodshow!" Tyson called out, running, wearing a sash. "Sorry I'm late, sir."
"Not a problem, Tyson. The torch has just arrived as well," President Goodshow assured.
"President Goodshow?" Sora asked. President Goodshow smiled when he saw Sora, Kairi, and their friends arriving.
"Ah, Sora, Kairi, how wonderful to see you again. Along with Ash, Leaf, and Ethan, too. And it seems I see some new faces, too," President Goodshow said.
"We had quite a journey," Sora said.
"I don't doubt it since you've made it all this way," President Goodshow said.
"You know President Goodshow?" Max asked.
"Yeah, we do. We met him when we were in the Indigo Plateau and on Mount Silver," Sora said.
"Yes, and may I presume that you'll be participating in the Hoenn Pokémon League as well?" President Goodshow asked.
"Well, Brendan and I are," Sora said.
"The rest of us came along as support," Ethan said.
"I see. I thought Sora was going to be participating ever since I saw Kairi win the Grand Festival," President Goodshow said.
"You saw that?" Kairi asked.
"Yes, my dear. And you're May, aren't you?" President Goodshow asked.
"Yes, but how do you know?" May asked.
"Yes, and I was amazed by how well you both did in the final round of the Grand Festival. I would expect nothing less from Norman's daughter," President Goodshow said.
"You know about my dad?" Max asked.
"Now, how could I not? And I know this is Wallace's niece Lisia. If you've been in this kind of line of work as I have, I just know things," President Goodshow said.
"I see that you've made it," Rei said, approaching the group.
"And just in time, too," President Goodshow said. Tyson takes the torch and has his Meowth beside him.
"Good luck to the both of you," Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks," Tyson said, running with the torch.
"We should follow them to the stadium," Roxas suggested.
"That's a good idea, Roxas," Ash said.
"I'd love to check out the cute shops they have here," May said.
Just then, a limo drives up.
"Look at that giant car," Max said.
"It's a limousine, Max," Rui said.
"Your ride, sir," Nurse Joy said.
"Thank you," President Goodshow said. He turned to the group. "How would you like to come along, kids? Lots of room inside."
"Thanks," the group said, getting inside the limo.
Tyson and his Meowth kept on running as he passed Yugi, his friends, the DigiDestined, and two other people. One is a boy who is around the same age as Sora. He is wearing a black half mask black hair, red eyes black jacket and white t-shirt black pants. The other is a girl a pink dress, pink heels, and black hair and red eyes.
In the limo, President Goodshow spotted the stadium ahead of him.
"Ah, there it is, kids. Have a look-see," President Goodshow said. They all turned to the stadium with their very eyes. "The Hoenn Pokémon League's Ever Grande Stadium!"
"It's amazing," Brendan said.
"It's humongous," Lyra said.
"And there's the stadium's very own Pokémon Center. It's there that you'll find the competition schedules, the pairing information, and everything else you need to know," President Goodshow said.
"You should register as soon as we get to there," Rei said to Sora and Brendan.
"We will," Sora and Brendan said.
"And May, I know you're interested in the shops, and trust me, you won't be disappointed. I doubt you that you can see them all even if you wanted to," President Goodshow said.
"Sounds like a sweet deal to me!" May said.
"I can't wait to check out the souvenir shops!" Max said.
"Don't be too quick, Max! There's one thing to do first! And that's checking out the bakery!" May exclaimed.
"No way! Eating again already?" Max asked.
"Well, I wanted to try the strawberry cream pie. The combination of fresh strawberries and dairy-based cream makes an eating experience not-soon-forgotten!" May said, looking over her guidebook. Brendan and Max grinned, liking how it sounds.
"You're right! Sounds good! Just hearing about it from that book of yours is making me-" Max was interrupted by his growling stomach.
"I think the word you're looking for is 'hungry'," Ventus said.
"Nothing inspiring than the sound of empty tummies," President Goodshow said.
"I strongly agree," Rei said.
Everyone all laughed.
On the very next morning, Sora, Brendan, and Wally approached a different booth to register for the tournament.
"My name is Sora Ketchum from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, and I would like to register, please," Sora requested.
"Of course. I will be needing your Gym Badges and your Rotom Phone," Nurse said. Sora took out his Badge Case and his Rotom Phone. Nurse Joy scanned each Gym Badge as Sora's Rotom Phone uploads Sora's information into the database. Once it was done, she hands the phone and Gym Badges back to him. "There you go. You now have the rights to participate in the Hoenn Pokémon League tournament."
"Thank you," Sora said, taking the guidebook, his Rotom Phone, and Gym Badges.
"Looks like everything's good," Kairi said.
"Sure is," Sora agreed.
"Excuse us, but are you Sora and Kairi, right?" The boy with the half mask asked.
"Yeah, and who are you?" Sora asked.
"My name's Blake Beckette, and this is my twin sister Nora," Blake introduced himself.
"Hello," Nora greeted.
"Are you taking part of the Hoenn Pokémon League, too?" Sora asked.
"Yes, and we just registered, so we wanted to greet you personally," Nora said.
"Ever since Hikaru told us about you," Blake said.
"You know Hikaru?" Sora asked.
"Does that mean, you're Keyblade wielders?" Kairi asked.
"Yes, we are. The same with Riku, Naminé, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Wes, Rui, Michael, Kris, Lyra, May, and Brendan," Blake said.
"Along with Roxas and Xion," Nora added.
"Well, it's nice to meet more apprentices of Ben and fellow students of Hikaru," Sora said.
"We'll have to get together sometime," Kairi said.
"We'd like that," Nora said.
"Just make sure you win your first match just so I can battle you," Blake said.
"Sure, I'll try," Sora said.
"We wanted to wish you luck in the competition," Nora said.
"Thanks," Sora said.
"And we'll have to show you our Keyblades later," Nora said.
"Sure thing," Sora and Kairi said.
A little while later, Sora was doing some training for his first battle. Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair were watching, so Sora had Salamence out to practice his Flamethrower.
"Okay, Salamence! Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Salamence fired Flamethrower as Morrison runs after his sandwich.
"Hey, wait, Salamence! Don't burn my sandwich!" Morrison shouted.
"Morrison?" Sora asked. "Salamence! Cease fire! Cease fire!" It was too late. Morrison got burned and his sandwich got reduced to ashes. Sora ran up to Morrison, concerned for him. "You okay, Morrison?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about the sandwich. I'll just make another one later," Morrison said. He sees Sora in front of him. "Hey! Sora! Good to see you!"
"Good to see you!" Sora said. Morrison looked at Salamence.
"Hey, is this Salamence yours?" Morrison asked.
"Yeah, and I got some other Pokémon with me," Sora said, taking out his Pokéballs and he let out Aggron, Flygon, Metagross, Gallade, and Glalie.
"That's a great collection of Pokémon! So cool!" Morrison said. Kairi, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, and their Pokémon partners approached Morrison.
"When did you get here?" Karen asked.
"A little while ago. That 8th Gym Badge was much harder to get than I thought. That Juan gave me a real run for my money, but he said some nice things about my Pokémon," Morrison said, holding up the Rain Badge."
"Well, Juan is a humble Gym Leader," Sora said.
"Chu," Pikachu said.
"What Pokémon do you have with you?" Ventus asked. Morrison chuckled.
"The best there is," Morrison said, taking out all of his Pokéballs and letting them all out. "Come out, everyone!" Morrison's Beldum, Swampert, Gligar, Growlithe, Girafarig, and Steelix.
"So cool! A Beldum, a Gligar, a Girafarig, a Growlithe, a Swampert, and a Steelix!" Ventus beamed.
"They all look like they've been trained and raised very well," Terra said.
"Hey, what do you expect? I didn't come all this way to have a good time. I came here to win!" Morrison said.
"You have to knock out the rest of the competition before you do that," Sora told him.
"That's what I plan to do, Sora. How about a race to see who's faster?" Morrison challenged.
"Don't you have registrations to complete first?" Sora asked.
"Huh? Registration? What do you mean?" Morrison asked.
"He means that you got less than a half hour to register into the League or else you won't be to qualify to participate," Kairi said. Morrison screamed as he realized his time is fastly running out.
"Crap! I gotta get down there!" Morrion exclaimed as he calls his team back raced down to the Pokémon Center to register quickly.
"He sure can run fast," Ventus said.
"Is he always like this?" Aqua asked.
"He wouldn't be if he had a chill pill," Ash said.
"And a breather," Leaf said.
At the Pokémon Center, Morrison managed to register for the tournament. A little while later, Zinnia rejoins the group and she introduced her friends to Jay and Blake and Nora introduced the others. Blake looked at Lisia and he became infatuated with her, and Nora has fallen in love with Wally. Wally and Lisia felt the same way for the twins. The group filled Morrison in about the Grand Festival and about their recent adventure that involved Manaphy.
"Congrats on winning the Grand Festival, Kairi," Morrison said.
"Thanks Morrison. May put up quite a fight," Kairi said.
"But I won't give up that easily. I'll be a Top Coordinator some day. But, right now, I'm here rooting for my boyfriend," May said. Brendan places his hand around May's shoulder.
"Thanks, babe," Brendan said.
"So, that means, you got yourslef two more rivals," Sora said.
"Anyway, how is the tournament gonna go down?" Ventus asked. Rei took out the guidebook, explaining the rules of the tournament.
"According to this, the tournament's preliminaries starts off as a sudden death match. Meaning each Trainer will be using one Pokémon each. One win is required to advance further. The next round will be consisted on double doubles. Each double will have the use of four Pokémon from each Traimer to use and substitutions are allowed. That battle is over when all four of either Pokémon is unable to keep going. Three wins will advance you further. The next ones shall be single battles in which Trainers will be using three Pokémon each. Just like before, the battle is over when all three of eliminated. Three wins will advance you even further. And finally, there is the final round. In this section, the top 32 Trainers will be using all six of their Pokémon. In addition, there will be a field consisting of rock, ice, water, and grass. When half of either trainer's Pokémon had been taken down, the field will be going through a change and it shall resume when all of either trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. When most of the competition has been eliminated, the final two Trainers will advance to the final stadium and when a winner is decided, the winner's trophy is rewarded to the victor," Rei explained.
"Wow, that's something," Wally said.
"So, let's give it all we got tomorrow," Sora said.
"I'm with you, Sora. I'm hoping you guys are going to make it through the preliminaries just so I can battle you in the qualifying rounds," Brendan said.
"You are so on, Brendan!" Morrison said.
"Yeah!" Sora, Brendan, Wally, and Morrison all agreed. They all placed their hands in the center and promised each other a good battle when their pinned against each other.
On the very next day, the official competition has begun. Tyson has won his preliminary round, using his Meowth against a Linoone. Next was Wally and he has sent out his Gallade and he battled against an Arcanine. Then, it was Blake who has sent out a Sableye against a Victreebel, and Nora has sent out a Clefable against a Starmie. They each won their matches, earning their spots in the tournament.
Next is Morrison and he using his Beldum as his opponent is going with his Electabuzz. The battle Beldum was in wasn't going in his favor.
"Go, Beldum! Take Down!" Morrison ordered. Beldum comes at Electabuzz with the full force of its body. His opponent laughs.
"That's perfect! The same attack again! Get ready for another Take Down!" The trainer said. Electabuzz's Trainer waited for Beldum to get close enough. "This is almost too easy! Go, Electabuzz! Protect!" Electabuzz creates a protective barrier around itself and Beldum's Take Down bounces off.
"Baldum! You're not hitting hard enough!" Morrison exclaimed. Beldum gets back up.
"Beldum doesn't seem to have enough power," May said.
"It's not exactly easy if Take Down is the only attack it knows," Max said.
"That's a bummer," Kris said.
"I'm not going down that easily! Take Down again, Beldum!" Morrison ordered. Beldum charges at Electabuzz again.
"Ha! Another Take Down attack? You sure know how to stick with something when it's ineffective! Electabuzz! Protect again!" The trainer ordered. Electabuzz uses Protect again and the attack bounces off. Beldum is reflected again.
"Take Down isn't working," Roxas said.
"Pikachu," Xipak said.
"There's no other choice," Kris said.
"He should have gone with his Swampert, Steelix, or Gligar since they're all Ground-types," Ash said.
"Our turn now, Electabuzz! Thunder Punch!" The trainer ordered. Electabuzz comes at Beldum and lands an electrifeid punch onto Beldum.
"Beldum!" Morrison gasped. Beldum had taken some heavy damage.
"Morrison's going to have to get a lot more power out of that one attack if it's ever going overcome Electabuzz and its Protect," Terra said.
"Beldum! Take Down, full power!" Morrison ordered. Beldum launches itself once again to land a hit onto Electabuzz. His opponent wasn't worried and laughed again.
"Well, that's nice. We were about to attack, but you're saving us the trouble of coming over there to get you. Electabuzz! Protect!" The Trainer ordered. Electabuzz makes a prtective barrier once again and Beldum holds on. "Okay, okay, okay, this is going to be cool! Quick Attack! Go!" Electabuzz uses its speed attack to push Beldum back and go against the wall.
"Get up! Hit it with Take Down, Beldum!" Morrison ordered. Beldum breaks out of Electabuzz's hold and comes at the electric Pokémon once again.
"Wow, this is sweeter than a candy cane! Electabuzz! Thunderbolt!" The Trainer ordered. Electabuzz lands an electrified shock onto the Iron Ball Pokémon. Beldum lands into the soil.
"Don't let 'em throw you around like that, Beldum! Get up!" Morrison ordered. Beldum gets back up and ready to go at it again.
"Okay, okay, okay! I've never seen anyone quite so determined to lose before! But this time when I hit you, you're going to wish you never got back up! Electabuzz! Thunder Punch! Go!" The Trainer ordered. Electabuzz jumped and charged up its han to land an electrified punch onto Beldum with hopes of finishing it off.
"Beldum! Stay strong!" Morrison shouted. Beldum then started to evolve much to everyone's surprise. "What's happening?"
"Okay, okay, okay, what's this?" The Trainer asked.
"Wow! Look at that!" Ethan said.
"Beldum's starting to evolve!" Leaf said.
"Now that's cool!" Ventus said.
"Pi!" Sparky said.
Beldum had evolved into a Metang. Everyone was at awe at the sudden evolution.
"Beldum had just evolved into a Metang!" Max said.
"That means, Metang has learned some new attacks after evolving," Lyra said.
"Marill!" Marill said.
"Wow, Beldum evolved for me right when I needed it the most. Ha! Hope you're ready for this!" Morrison shouted.
"Oh boy. Oh well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall after an Electabuzz Thunder Punch, right?" The Trainer taunted. Electabuzz comes at the newly evolved Metang with Thunder Punch coming at it.
"Now, slow it down with your Confusion, Metang!" Morrison ordered. Metang uses Confusion to stop Electabuzz in its tracks.
"Aah! Not good!" The Trainer gasped.
"Go, Metang! Show them the real power of a Take Down!" Morrison ordered. Metang sets its claws like they were exhaust pipes and launches itself right at the electric Pokémon with the full force of its body. Take Down had become so much stronger after evolving. Electabuzz had been taken down.
"ELECTABUZZ!" The trainer gasped.
"Electabuzz is unable to battle! Metang wins! The winner of the battle is Morrison!" The referee announced. The crowd cheers hard for Morrison.
"Ah yeah!" Morrison cheered.
"Aw, man," the trainer groaned.
"Nice one, Morrison! Way to bounce back!" Sora praised.
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu said.
"That was pretty good, huh? Of course, it's really no surprise is it, with all my talent?" Morrison asked.
"Brendan is up next," Sora said.
"Yeah, I know he'd win if I root for him," Morrison said.
"I feel the same way," Sora said.
Brendan was up against a female trainer with a Claydol as Brendan had sent out his Sceptile.
"Looks like it's Sceptile against a Claydol," Naminé said.
"Should be a good matchup since Sceptile is a Ground-type," Max said.
"It should, unless Claydol knows moves like Ice Beam, then Brendan will have some trouble coming his way," Xion said.
"Eevee," Celeste said.
"Sceptile! Begin with Leaf Blade!" Brendan ordered. Sceptile comes at the clay doll Pokémon, ready to strike it.
"Claydol! Dodge and use Ice Beam!" The trainer ordered. Blaydol avoids Sceptile and fires Ice Beam right at Sceptile.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Brendan ordered. Sceptile avoids Ice Beam and it struck the ground instead. "Now, use Leaf Storm!" Sceptile fires Leaf Storm right at Claydol.
"Dodge and use Signal Beam!" The trainer ordered. Claydol avoids Sceptile's Leaf Storm and fires Signal Beam right at the forest Pokémon. It lands a hit.
"Don't take that laying down! Come at with Leaf Blade!" Brendan ordered. Sceptile comes at Claydol with another Leaf Blade.
"I don't think so! Ice Beam!" The Trainer ordered. Claydol fires Ice Bea again.
"Dodge it!" Brendan called out and avoids Ice Beam with great speed. Sceptile lands a heavy hit onto Claydol. "Now use Leaf Storm!" Sceptile fires Leaf Storm and it struck Claydol, causing some heavy hits from the leaves. "Now use Seed Bomb!" Sceptile fires Seed Bomb and it lands a hit onto Claydol. Claydol lands onto the ground, all beaten from the attacks it endured.
"Claydol is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner! Brendan wins the battle!" The referee announced.
"I knew you'd win, Brendan!" May cheered. Brendan blushed as he waved to his girlfriend.
A series of battles raged on as trainers from left to right went on. It was until it was Sora's turn. He was going to with Pikachu as atrainer, dressed a karate outfit with a Hitmonlee.
"The next battle is between Sora and Gilbert!" The referee announced. The crowd cheered as many of Sora's fans all cheered. Many of them were girls as they all were all lovestruck by him.
"You can do it, Sora!" Ventus cheered.
"Give it all you've got, Sora!" Kairi cheered.
"Eevee!" Angel cheered. Pikachu looked back to Angel and he wanted to dedicate it to her.
"And begin!" The referee called out.
"Go in, Pikachu!" Sora called out.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Go, Hitmonlee!" Gilbert shouted as Hitmonlee moved in to battle. Both ran towards each other. "Hitmonlee! Rolling Kick!" Hitmonlee performs a roundhouse kick.
"Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran pass Hitmonlee as Rolling Kick had missed much to Gilbert's frustration. "Now, strike!" Pikachu lands an Iron Tail right into Hitmonlee's side. Hitmonlee hits the ground hard.
"Perfect!" Riku said.
"Eevee!" Eevee said.
"Such a nice dodge," Lisia said.
"Hitmonlee! High Jump Kick!" Gilbert ordered. Hitmonlee jumps into the air to deliever a kick into the air.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Sora ordered. Pikachu uses his speed back attack to avoid being kicked before Hitmonlee strikes the wall in front of him, causing some serious damage.
"Nice save," Ash said.
"I can't take the chance with another High Jump Kick. It might miss again. So instead," Gilbert said in his thoughts.
"Stay on your toes, Pikachu!" Sora said.
"Why isn't Sora going with his Electric-type attacks?" Ventus asked.
"Maybe Sora was relying too heavily on Pikachu's electricity and decided to have Pikachu go at it, all natural. Let's hope it gets in his favor or it might cost him if he doesn't use it carefully," Riku said.
"Okay Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu charges towards Hitmonlee again.
"Hitmonlee! Mega Kick!" Gilbert ordered. Hitmonlee lands a stomping kick onto Pikachu, but the pain from Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick takes its toll on him.
"Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu uses his tail to soften the landing. It creates adust cloud. Both trainers waited anxiously to see who was still standing. Hitmonlee was smacked by Pikachu's tail in the face and fell to the ground, beaten.
"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! The victory goes to Sora!" The referee announced. The crowd cheers as Sora had won the his way in the preliminary round.
The preliminaries had ended. Sora, Brendan, Wally, Tyson, and Morrison have qualified for the main event. Sora's reputaion as Champion from the previous Pokémon Leagues may or may not be enough to keep him going, but he wasn't going to down that easily as the rest of the competition is about to find out. Sora is given the honor of lighting the official flame of the tournament. Delia, Professor Oak, Daisy, Tracey, Kairi's family, and the Pichu watches with pride.
Sora, Brendan, Wally, Morrison, and a few new rivals by the name of Tyson, Blake, and Nora have entered the tournament, so how will it progress from there? Just you wait and see if you wanna find out.