Episode 365: The Return of Familiar Rivals
Before I begin with this chapter, I thought I should share with you that I was originally going to do a take of three Jynx and a Baby, but I decided to scratch that idea since I couldn't decide if I should do poachers or Heartless. But then, I thought of having them deal with Loki again, but then I scratched that idea, too, but then I thought of having the rivals returning in his chapter. Of course, not all of the rivals will be in attendance. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter.
On the next morning after Kairi has earned her fifth and final Contest Ribbon, Sora, Kairi, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Pikachu, Angel, and Marill are now taking off and heading their own separate ways once again.
"You sure you won't be sticking around with us a little longer?" Sora asked.
"We're sure. We still have some places to head to for the Pokémon Stadium Cup," Ethan said.
"And you know we'll be rooting for him," Lyra said.
"Marill," Marill said.
"Well, good luck," Sora said.
"Same with you," Ethan said.
"We hope we get to see you again soon," Kairi said.
"We'll meet up again," Kris said.
"You're right. We will," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
With that said, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, and Angel said their goodbyes to their friends and took off.
In the following weeks, Sora had taken part of the Pokémon Stadium Cup, changing his team in different stadiums. It was difficult, but he definitely earned it.
But presently, Sora's other Pokémon consisted of Grumpig, Sudowoodo, Typhlosion, Swampert, Vemomoth, Snorlax, Weavile, Aerodactyl, Victreebel, and Wobbuffet.
Unknown to the couple, Loki is observing them through a telescope.
"Oh, isn't that just the sweetest thing? Such a happy couple taking a stroll through the forest. It's enough to make me puke my guts out," Loki said, making a pukey sound. "But I'll have to stay on my toes in case Astride, Erik, and Anders are around to spoil my fun again. But if they do, then they'll be sorry."
Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, and Angel made a stop for some training as Sora placed some cans down.
"Okay, Meltan, open fire on these cans," Sora said. Meltan rushed to the cans, but Sora grabbed it by the hex nut, knowing it was gonna try and eat them. "No, no, no! These cans aren't for eating, they're for practicing!" Meltan groaned a bit. "You can eat these when you're done." Sora placed Meltan back down. "Okay, Meltan. Flash Cannon!" Meltan then fired Flash Cannon and struck one of the cans. "That was awesome! Flash Cannon again!" Meltan fired another Flash Cannon and it struck another can. "One more time!" Meltan fired one more Flash Cannon, but it missed its next target, and it heads for Morrison who was chasing after a rolling sandwich.
"Come back here, you!" Morrison said. Sora yelped where it was heading.
"Look out!" Sora shouted.
Just before Morrison could have a look, Morrison was struck by Meltan's Flash Cannon. Sora and his Pokémon rushed over to Morrison who was now on the ground, but his sandwich was still in tact.
"Did anyone catch the license plate of the bus that hit me?" Morrison asked in a daze.
"Morrison, are you okay?" Sora asked. Morrison opened his eyes and he saw Sora and his Pokémon looking back at him.
"Sora, is that you?" Morrison asked.
"Yeah. It's been a while," Sora said, helping Morrison up. "Sorry about that Flash Cannon."
"Is that it was. I was hit by way more powerful attacks than that. I barely even felt it," Morrison said.
"That's one thing that hadn't change," Sora said. He chuckled, but stopped when he saw Snorlax pick up Morrison's sandwich. "Hey, put that down!"
"Hey, that's my sandwich!" Morrison exclaimed. Snorlax ate it with one bite. Morrison then gave off a loud scream. Vincent and Silver heard it from two different places and rushed off to see what was happening. Kairi, Angel, and the other Pokémon heard it, too, so they ran off to see what was happening. He stopped screaming and he sighed. "That always feels good. Don't worry about the sandwich. I can just make another one."
"Hopefully before my Snorlax eats the next one," Sora said. Morrison had a look at Sora's other Pokémon. "Whoa! Your Swampert and Grumpig I remember seeing, but all of the rest are yours?"
"Yeah, they're mine. Meltan here is my newest one," Sora said. Morrison looked at Meltan.
"Wow, I never seen a Pokémon like that before," Morrison said.
"Well, Meltan was the one who fired that Flash Cannon," Sora said.
"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed as she came running up to Sora. "I heard the sound of screaming is everything o-" Kairi paused when she saw Morrison. "Was that you, Morrison?"
"Hey, Kairi. I had a feeling you were still with this guy," Morrison said.
"It's good to see you again," Kairi said.
"Hold it!" Another familiar voice shouted. They saw it was Vincent who was now rushing to the scene. "Never fear, because-"
"Vincent?" Sora asked. He turned to see Sora and Kairi.
"Hey, Sora, Kairi! It's great seeing you again!" Vincent said.
"You know this guy?" Morrison asked.
"Yeah. This guy's Vincent. He's a longtime friend of Ethan, Kris, and Lyra. The last time we saw him is when we were coming back from Johto, just before we left for Hoenn," Sora said.
"I missed you guys like crazy," Vincent said as he notices Morrison. "Who are you?"
"The name's Morrison, and I come from Verdanturf Town," Morrison introduced himself.
"Good to meet you, Morrison," Vincent said.
"I thought it had something to do with you," another familiar voice said. They turned to see it was Silver.
"Silver," Sora and Kairi said.
"You know him, too?" Morrison asked.
"Yeah. We met Silver when we first came to the Johto region. He as a Trainer who only cared about catching strong Pokémon that can win," Kairi said.
"Last time we saw him, it was after the Johto Pokémon League. He was heading for Blackthorn City to train with the Master," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad to see you again," Silver said.
"We heard that you guys are taking part of the Pokémon Stadium Cup, too," Sora said.
"You know me, Sora. I like a challenge," Morrison said.
"What about you, Kairi? Are you participating in it, too?" Vincent asked.
"No, I'm actually taking part of the Pokémon Contests here in Kanto. Or should I say, the Grand Festival," Kairi said.
"Grand Festival?" Vincent asked.
"The Grand Festival is a tournament of Pokémon Coordinators who has earned five Contest Ribbons from different Pokémon Contests in different towns and cities. They have those in different regions," Silver said.
"Not surprising you're in those, Kairi. You won your five Ribbons, didn't you?" Morrison asked.
"Sure did," Kairi said, showing Vincent, Morrison, and Silver her Ribbons.
"Wow. You won all those? You have got to be an awesome Pokémon Coordinator to win those," Vincent said.
"Thanks," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
Just them another familiar face comes around. It turns out to be Trace. And with him is a Jolteon.
"Sora, Kairi! Hey!" Trace greeted with a smile.
"Trace. Great to see you," Sora said.
"Likewise," Trace said with a smiled. Sora took notice of Jolteon.
"Wow, look at that. When did you evolve your Eevee into a Jolteon?" Sora asked.
"It was about a week after we left on our own to do our own training. I figured my Eevee should get stronger if I used a Thunder Stone on my Eevee to evolve," Trace said.
"Your Jolteon looks like a strong Pokémon since you're raising him," Kairi said.
"Jolt," Jolteon said. Trace noticed the others with the couple.
"Who are they?" Trace asked.
"Right. Meet Vincent. He's a longtime friend of Ethan, Kris, and Lyra in Johto. The redhead is Silver, and this guy here is Morrison," Sora said.
"Hey," Trace greeted with a smile. "Anyway, I caught some other Pokémon, so I thought I'd show them to you." Trace took out his Pokéballs and tossed them. "Come out, everyone!" His Pokéballs opened to reveal a Pidgeot, a Rapidash, a Slowbro, a Vilepume, and a Marowak.
"You've been busy," Sora said.
"Sure have. The best team I could come across," Trace said.
"You did a great job taking care of them," Kairi said.
Not too long after that, Sora and Kairi were sharing their stories about what they were up to since they last saw them. Silver wasn't surprised to hear about former Team Rocket members being on the loose. He had been hearing rumors about them, but he didn't consider it to be true. They were shocked about them being turned into Heartless.
"Man, that's so heavy. Being turned into Heartless," Trace said.
"Well, that's what happens if you keep letting the darkness in your heart grow more and more," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Anyway, enough about that. What about you, Silver? What brought you here from the Dragon's Den?" Sora asked.
"After the Johto Pokémon League's closing ceremony, I went for Blackthorn City to begin my own training. When I explained my reason to the Dragon's Den's Master, he accepted me without question, so he had me train my body, mind, and spirit. I wanted to become a much better person than I used to be. It took me months, but it was worth it. When I heard the Pokémon Stadium Cup was being held in Kanto, I knew it was a chance to show everyone that I've changed," Silver explained.
"Kairi and I are glad to hear you're making good progress," Sora said.
"Yeah, but I think I'm gonna need some more training, because I feel like it's not enough," Silver said.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Morrison asked.
"More than you can realize," Silver said.
Vincent and Morrison explained their escapades during their journey in the Kanto region, and how they heard about the Pokémon Stadium Cup. They explained about how they met up with Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, and May.
A little later, the rivals joined up with the couple and they found a Pokémon Center to relax when they saw some familiar faces there as well. There was Katie, Tyson, Harrison, and Macy.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't it Sora. I had a feeling I'd see you again," Katie said.
"Hey, Katie. Haven't seen you since the closing ceremony," Sora said.
"Yeah, after you won the Hoenn Pokémon League. Congrats again," Katie said.
"Thanks," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
Sora and Kairi had Pikachu and Angel checked in to be thoroughly examined. Once they were fighting fit, Tyson approached Sora and Kairi.
"Hey, you guys. I've been looking forward to see you again," Tyson said.
"Same here, Tyson. How are you liking the Kanto region?" Sora asked.
"Well, it's been quite a thrill. I even stopped by at Porta Vista, and tried out a place called 'Danny's Bay of Burgers', and I enjoyed every bite of one of those hamburgers. The best I have ever eaten," Tyson said.
"Is that right?" Sora asked, not surprised.
"When I saw Ven there, he told his dad that you were the owner's nephew. When I confirmed it, your aunt and uncle gave me quite a welcome," Tyson said.
"Well, they have a habit of welcoming friends of mine," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"And how's your Meowth?" Sora asked.
"Oh, you know. Still the same," Tyson said.
"That's what I thought," Sora said, chuckling.
"I'm sure he changed a little," Kairi said.
"How about you see for yourselves?" Tyson suggested, taking out his Pokéball and his Meowth came on out. Pikachu and Angel greeted the Scratch Cat Pokémon and he smiled slightly as he placed his paws on their heads. "As you can see, Meowth's pride wasn't damaged when he lost to your Pikachu."
"Yeah, but to be fair, you almost had me," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"It sure was close," Tyson said.
"Meowth," Meowth said.
"Sora, Kairi, Tyson. Longtime no see," Harrison greeted.
"Hello, Harrison," Kairi greeted back.
"I saw you in the Gardenia Town Pokémon Contest on TV. Congrats on your win," Tyson said.
"Thank you, Harrison," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
A little while later, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, and the rivals stepped out of the back of the Pokémon Center to have some practice battles. They knew they wanted to be ready and on top condition for the Pokemon Stadium Cup.
"Sora, how about we have a practice battle, just you and me. We never had our battle back in the Hoenn Pokémon League," Morrison said.
"Sure thing, Morrison. I could use the exercise. How do you wanna do it?" Sora asked.
"Let's make it a three-on-three match. And the battle will over when all three are unable to battle, and substitutions allowed," Morrison said.
"I can take you on that, Morrison," Sora said.
"Awesome!" Morrison said as he took his position. "Pokémon number one! Steelix!" His Pokéball opened and Steelix emerged from inside. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, Wobbuffet! Let's go!" Sora called out. Wobbuffet emerged from inside, ready to battle.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said.
"Huh? A Wobbuffet? Why would you have a Pokémon that can barely even do anything?" Morrison asked.
"There's more to Wobbuffet than meets the eye, Morrison," Sora said.
"Well, Wobbuffet is gonna lose! Dragon Breath!" Morrison ordered. Steelix fired Dragon Breath right at the Patient Pokémon.
"Wobbuffet! Mirror Coat!" Sora ordered. Wobbuffet uses Mirror Coat to deflect Steelix's Dragon Breath and sends it back at the Iron Snake Pokémon. Morrison gasped when he saw that happen.
"No way!" Morrison exclaimed.
"Great job, Wobbuffet!" Sora said.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet said.
"Wait, I thought Wobbuffet could only use Counter," Trace said.
"That's what most people would think. Wobbuffet mostly uses Counter to reflect physical attacks, while Mirror Coat reflects special attacks. Wobbuffet can also use Safeguard to protect the user from moves that can cause status conditions like Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder," Kairi said. Morrison tried to call back Steelix, but Steelix is returning to its Pokéball.
"Hey, why can't I call Steelix back?!" Morrison asked.
"Why isn't he calling back his Steelix?" Trace asked.
"It's because of Wobbuffet's ability, Shadow Tag. It works the same way as Mean Look. When a Pokémon who has this ability are out on the field, it prevents the opponent from running away or switching out," Silver said.
"And it's gonna stay that way until Wobbuffet is either beaten, or switched," Katie said.
"Steelix! Use Crunch!" Morrison ordered. Steelix dove right at Wobbuffet with Crunch.
"Counter!" Sora ordered. Wobbuffet uses Counter to deflect Steelix's Crunch.
"Use Dig!" Morrison ordered. Steelix dug underground. Wobbuffet looked around, feeling nervous.
"Stay on your toes, Wobbuffet," Sora said. Steelix emerged from underneath and struck Wobbuffet hard.
"Destiny Bond!" Sora ordered. Wobbuffet unleashed a dark aura and it surrounds Steelix. Wobbuffet struck the ground very hard and ends up being knocked out.
"Way to go, Steelix!" Morrison exclaimed. Steelix's body was then surrounded by the same dark aura, draining all of Steelix's energy. Steelix was knocked out from Wobbuffet's Destiny Bond. "No way!" Sora called back Wobbuffet and smiled.
"You did a great job, Wobbuffet. Get yourself a good rest," Sora said. Morrison called back Steelix.
"You were awesome, all the same," Morrison said. He took out his next Pokéball and threw it. "You're up now, Gligar!" His Pokéball opened and his Gligar emerged from inside, ready to battle. Sora took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Weavile! Go!" Sora called out. His Pokéball opened and Weavile came out with a swirl of stars.
"Gligar! Steel Wing, let's go!" Morrison ordered. Gligar flew right at the Shiny Sharp Claw Pokémon.
"Okay, Weavile! Ice Spinner!" Sora ordered. Weavile spins around and comes right at Gligar. Both Pokémon lands a hit on each other, feeling damage from the weakness of the moves. "Okay, Weavile! Use Metal Claw!"
"Gligar! Use Guillotine!" Morrison ordered. Gligar attempts to make a hit onto Weavile, but Weavile came in too fast for Gligar and lands a successful hit with Metal Claw. Gligar was down, but it wasn't out. "Use Iron Tail!" Gligar swings its tail right at Weavile.
"Dodge and use Ice Shard!" Sora ordered. Weavile avoids Gligar's Iron Tail and fired Ice Shard at the Fly Scorpion Pokémon. "Use Feint Attack!" Weavile vanished and then reappeared in front of Gligar and lands a hit onto Gligar, reulting in a knockout. "Good job, Weavile."
"Weavile," Weavile said.
Morrison called back his Gligar and he took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, Metang! Come on out!" Morrison called out. Metang emerged from inside to battle.
"Metang's a Steel-type, right? And Weavile's an Ice-type. So, Steel-types should have the advantage againt Ice-types, shouldn't they?" Kris asked.
"That's right, but Weavile is a Dark-type Pokémon, and Metang's a Psychic-type. Metang's Psychic-type moves won't have any effect on Weavile," Tyson said.
"Okay, Metang! Meteor Mash!" Morrison ordered. Metang rushes at Weavile with a Meteor Mash.
"Dodge it and use Feint Attack!" Sora ordered. Weavile disappeared to avoid Metang's Meteor Mash, but lands a successful hit onto Metang. Morrison just grinned.
"Gotcha! Metang! Take Down!" Morrison ordered. Metang charges at Weavile and lands a hit. Weavile has taken a lot of damage from that hit. "Meteor Mash!" Metang lands a heavy hit with Meteor Mash, resulting in a knockout. Sora called back Weavile and he smiled.
"That was imoressive, Morrison. Your Metang has grown so much stronger than I remember," Sora said.
"What did you expect? I had my Metang go through hours of training," Morrison said.
"Well, all that hard work did pay off. Let's how it'll handle this one," Sora said, taking out his next Pokéball and threw it. "You're going right in, Typhlosion!" His Pokéball opened and Typhlosion emerged from insdie.
"So, it's a Fire-type, huh? This gets me even more worked up! Metang! Take Down!" Morrison ordered. Metang charges at Typhlosion with another Take Down.
"Okay, Typhlosion! Flame Wheel!" Sora ordered. Typhlosion curls into a ball of fire and rolls right at Metang. Both Pokémon collide with one another and deals heavy damage to each other. Metang felt the heaviest damage due to its weakness against fire attacks. "Flamethrower!" Typhlosion unleashed Flamethrower right at Metang.
"Confusion!" Morrison ordered. Metang uses Confusion to deflect Typhlosion's Flamethrower. "Awesome! Use Flash Cannon!" Metang fired Flash Cannon at the Volcano Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Typhlosion ran to avoid Metang's Flash Cannon. "When did your Metang learn to use Flash Cannon?"
"During my first battles at the Pokémon Stadium Cup. Awesome, right?" Morrison asked.
"Very impressive. And it was powerful, too," Sora said.
"Okay, Metang! Take Down!" Morrison ordered. Metang charges at Typhlosion with Take Down.
"Dodge and use Flame Wheel!" Sora ordered. Typhlosion jumped up and rolls into Metang, dealing some heavy damage. It was enough to knock out Metang, much to Morrison's shock.
"No way!" Morrison gasped.
"Great job, Typhlosion," Sora said.
"Phlosion," Typhlosion said.
"You were awesome, Metang. Get some rest," Morrison said, calling Metang back. He walked up to Sora and shook his hand. "You're an awesome Trainer, Sora. No wonder you won the Hoenn Pokémon League."
"Thanks, Morrison. You were awesome, too," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"It looks like I get a turn. Same rules," Silver said.
"Sure thing, Silver," Sora said.
"Alright. Three-on-three, subsititutions allowed. He took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Crobat! Go!" His Pokéball opened and his Crobat emerged from inside. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Sudowoodo! Go!" Sora called out.
"Sudowoodo!" Sudowoodo said.
"Crobat! Cross Poison!" Silver ordered. Crobat flew at Sudowoodo with Cross Poison.
"Dodge and use Rock Slide!" Sora ordered. Sudowoodo avoids the Bat Pokémon's attack and unleashed Rock Slide and struck Crobat on the mark.
"Use Poison Fang!" Silver ordered. Crobat flew at Sudowoodo with Poison Fang.
"Dodge and use Wood Hammer!" Sora ordered. Sudowoodo avoids Crobat's Poison Fang and lands a hit with Wood Hammer.
"Crobat! Shadow Ball!" Silver ordered. Crobat fired Shadow Ball and sends it right at the Imitation Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. "Mimic!" Sudowoodo uses Mimic and instantly learned Shadow Ball.
"Poison Fang!" Silver ordered.
"Dodge it and use Shadow Ball!" Sora ordered. Sudowoodo avoids Crobat's attack and hits Crobat with Shadow Ball, resulting in a knockout. Silver called back his Crobat and he took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Weavile! Go!" Silver called out. His Pokéball opened and his Weavile emerged from inside.
"You still good to go, Sudowoodo?" Sora asked.
"Sudowoodo," Sudowoodo said.
"Okay. Sudowoodo! Use Low Sweep!" Sora ordered. Sudowoodo dashed at Weavile with a low kick attack.
"Dodge and use Shadow Claw!" Silver ordered. Weavile avoids Sudowoodo's attack and came at the Imitation Pokémon with a Shadow Claw, slashing him. Weavile got off of Sudowoodo. "Use Icy Wind!" Weavile blew Icy Wind right at Sudowoodo.
"Dodge and use Low Sweep!" Sora ordered. Sudowoodo avoids Weavile's attack and lands a heavy kick on the Sharp Claw Pokémon. "Rock Slide!" Sudowoodo hurls a Rock Slide right at Weavile, resulting in a knockout. Silver called back Weavile and he smiled.
"Wow. This is amazing. I'm actually having fun with this. I don't even care that I'm losing this battle, I'm actually having fun. I used to think it was a stupid waste of time to have fun. Not anymore," Silver said in his thoughts. He took out his third Pokéball and threw it. He called out, "Go! Feraligatr!" His Pokéball opened and his Feraligatr emerged from inside. Sora called Sudowoodo back.
"You battled enough for right now, Sudowoodo. Get some rest," Sora said. He looked at Pikachu. "I'm sending you in, Pikachu."
"Pikachu," Pikachu said. He stepped on the battlefield.
"So, you're sending out Pikachu, huh? I'm not surprised. Pikachu is your partner, after all," Silver said.
"Why else would I send him out, other than type advantage?" Sora asked.
"Feraligatr! Use Dragon Claw!" Silver ordered. Feraligatr rushed at Pikachu with a Dragon Claw.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu uses his speed to avoid Feraligatr's Dragon Claw and fired a Thunderbolt. Feraligatr felt the damage, but he managed to keep it together.
"Not bad, Sora, but will it be enough? Use Aqua Tail!" Silver ordered. Feraligatr came at the Mouse Pokémon with an Aqua Tail.
"Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodges Feraligatr's Aqua Tail and lands a hit with his Iron Tail. "Electro Ball!" Pikachu forms a ball of electricity. He hurls it right at Feraligatr.
"Dodge it!" Silver called out. Feraligatr avoids Pikachu's Electro Ball. "Ice Fang!" Feraligatr charges at Pikachu with an Ice Fang.
"Quick Attack to dodge!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodged Feraligatr's Ice Fang with Quick Attack. "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, shocking Feraligatr on the mark, resulting in a knockout. Silver called his Feraligatr back and he smiled.
"Not bad, Sora. You've so much stronger than ever. You truly earned my respect," Sora said.
"Well, you definitely changed if you're saying that," Sora said.
"Perhaps, but I still have a long way to go," Silver said.
Loki was watching closely and he gagged.
"Seeing Giovanni's son like this isn't fun. I liked it when he was all rude, moody, and mad at the world. Oh, well. His loss," Loki said.
Although a gathering of old rivals was unexpected, but it was known they would eventually cross paths again. But we will have to leave them here for right now, and rest up for some more adventures on the way.