Episode 258: Pros and Con Artists
Okay, before I get started on this chapter, let me just say that, yes, Sora is still going to be in the story even after the Galar arc, and Kairi, too. But I would like to say that it's going to be a Galar Pokémon League instead of the World Coronation series, so Sora will be earning Badges and a Pokémon League will be established, similar to the Pokémon League tournaments in the anime. Also, who is eager for the release of the Teal Mask in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet after seeing the trailer? Anyway, here it is, so enjoy.
Shortly after earning his second Frontier Symbol from Greta, Sora, Kairi, Brendan, Lisia, Pikachu, and Angel have started to make it back to the Pokemon Center to have Butterfree, Mr. Mime, and Aerodactyl healed from their injuries, they were being watched by a Beldum close-by. The Beldum starts going right at the group.
"I gotta say, Sora, that was an intense battle today," Brendan said.
"Yeah, it sure was. That Greta gave me a run for my money. She would have had me right there and then," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Seeing you in that battle has fired me up even more, Sora. You just inspired me to try even harder," Kairi said.
"Eevee!" Angel added.
"Glad to hear it, Kairi. Just know I'll be rooting for you all the way," Sora said. This made Kairi smile.
"Thank you, Sora," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said. His ears perked up. "Pi?"
"What's wrong, Pikachu? You hear something?" Sora asked. He got his answer when Beldum came right at Sora, making him and Pikachu duck their heads just in time. The group saw Beldum turn around and head right for Sora and Pikachu again. Pikachu jumped off of Sora's shoulders and swings his tail, hitting Beldum. Beldum just glared right at Pikachu, and he glared right back at it.
"Hey, it's a Beldum," Brendan said.
"Beldum, huh?" Sora asked, taking out his Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokemon
Type: Steel/Psychic
When Beldum gather in a swarm, they move in perfect unison as they were one Pokemon. They can communicate with each other by using brain waves.
"A Beldum, huh? Well, Beldum, you're going to be sorry for picking a fight with us," Sora said. "Okay, Pikachu, go get it!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, stepping in. Beldum charges right at Pikachu.
"Beldum's using Take Down!" Brendan exclaimed.
"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Sora ordered. Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it right at Beldum, dealing some damage. Beldum charges right at Pikachu again with another Take Down. Beldum came too fast for Pikachu to dodge. "The same attack again?"
"Yeah, becuase Take Down is the only move Beldum can use, but don't underestimate it just because of that, because it looks like its Take Down can do some serious damage when it hits," Brendan said.
"It looks like it dealt some heavy damage to me," Sora said. "Pikachu, wait for Beldum to come to you and don't move until I tell you to!" Pikachu nodded and waited for Beldum to attack again, but he didn't wait too long because Beldum charges right at Pikachu with another Take Down. Sora and Pikachu waited until it was close enough. "Now!" Pikachu jumped right on Beldum. The Iron Ball Pokemon tried to shake Pikachu off, but he just kept holding on. "Okay, Beldum! Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu gave Beldum a shock with Thunderbolt, dealing some heavy damage. Beldum has fallen to the ground, paralyzed. Pikachu got off of Beldum as Sora took out a Pokeball and threw it. Beldum flows inside and wobbles around and around. Stars swirls arouond the Pokeball to confirm the catch. Sora's Pokemon Box goes off asking him if he wants to keep Beldum with him. He chose to send Beldum to Professor Oak's lab. "I got myself a Beldum!"
"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.
Not too long, Sora, Kairi, Brendan, Lisia, Pikachu, and Angel have arrived to the Pokemon Center, and Sora had his Butterfree, Mr. Mime, and Aerodactyl. While Sora and Pikachu waited for Butterfree, Mr. Mime, and Aerodactyl to be completely healed, Kairi decided to practice with her Beautifly for the Contest. Sora brushes Pikachu's fur, much to the Mouse Pokemon's pleasure.
"Does that feel good, buddy?" Sora asked.
"Pi," Pikachu said.
"I thought you would," Sora said. The bell rings, indicating Sora's Pokemon are completely healed. Sora and Pikachu went to the counter to pick up his three Pokemon. "How are they doing?"
"They're doing wonderful. Your Butterfree, Aerodactyl, and Mr. Mime are fighting fit," Nurse Joy said.
"Glad to hear it," Sora said. He took his three Pokemon and he took out his Pokemon Box and he exchanged Butterfree, Mr. Mime, and Aerodactyl for Poochyena, Zigzagoon, and Barboach.
Meanwhile, over to Kairi and Angel, Kairi had her Beautifly out and she practiced hard with her Beautifly to get her combo done.
"Okay, Beautifly! Use Silver Wind!" Beautifly has unleashed Silver Wind, creating a silver blanket of mist. "Now, use Air Cutter!" Beautifly unleashed Air Cutter and it cuts through the silver mist, making some sparkles when the blades of air made contact. "Excellent job."
"Not bad. I'm sure it'll get you some points," a familiar voice spoke. Kairi and Angel turned to see Drew standing there.
"Oh, great, Drew," Kairi deadpanned.
"Vee," Angel also deadpanned.
"I had a hunch you were going to be in it, so I wanted to see what you can do," Drew said.
"If you're trying to psyche me out, then you're going to be disappointed to know it's not going to work," Kairi said.
"Oh, I'm not psyching anyone out. It's not my style. I saw what I needed to see, so goodby for now," Drew said, taking his leave. Kairi turned to Beautifly. "All right, Beautifly, let's keep practicing," Kairi said.
"Beautifly," Beautifly said.
Later, a couple of con artists are hiding in an alley, not too far away.
"Okay, this town's full of suckers to target. Just gotta choose someone clueless," one of the con artists said. The other con artist spotted a young Coordinator walking by.
"Hey, that guy looks clueless," the other con artist said.
"I think you're right," the first con artist said. "Get into position and I'll reel him in!" With that said, the con men got to work on their con. "Psst! Hey, you." The male Coordinator turned to his direction.
"Who? Me?" The male Coordinator asked.
"Yes, you. Come here," the first con artist said. The Coordinator walks up to him. "You wanna win the Fallarbor Town Pokémon Contest, doncha?"
"Yeah, I do, so I thought I'd find myself the perfect PokéBlock," the male Coordinator said.
"Well, you might as well stop looking, because I have the PokéBlock that you're looking for! Just step this way, my good man, and me and my associate will explain it all to you," the first con artist said.
"Sure thing," the male Coordinator said, following him where the second con man is sitting on a chair. The first con man had him seated.
"You wanna win a Pokémon Contest, don't you?" The second con artist asked.
"Well, yes, I supposed," the male Coordinator said.
"When I reveal this juicy secret, do you solemnly swear not to reveal to anyone?" The second con artist asked. He nodded his head. "Every Pokémon Contest judge requires cuteness, cleverness, confidence, classiness, and courage! I call them the 5 C's, and everybody already knows about them, but there's a secret that requirements that the judges don't want you to know."
"What are the two other secrets the judges don't want me to know?" The male Coordinator asked.
"I'm glad you asked, friend. It's coolness and charismatic-tism! They're the secret ingredients to victory in Pokémon Contests!" The second con artist said. While he was talking, two more people stepped in an alley. One is a man and one is a woman. It seems that they're in on it.
"Is that second one even a word?" The male Coordinator asked, skeptical.
"Of course. You can ask these two people here," the second con artist said, pointing to the other people. They had a Lickitung and a new Pokémon with them.
It is a humanoid, bipedal Pokémon that resembles a green scarecrow made of cacti. Its face has two eye holes through which yellow eyes can be seen, and six smaller holes representing a grinning mouth. It has numerous spikes along the length of its arms, legs, and around its neck. A pattern of green rhombi extends down the front of its body. There is a triangular, dark green feature on its head that resembles a hat with spiky tips.
"It did wonders with my Cacturne here," the man said.
"Same for my Lickitung," the woman said.
"There, you see? Two satisfied customers! See?" The second con artist asked. "Have a look at what they are talking about and you will be amazed beyond belief." He shows them the gold and silver PokéBlock. "What we have here are PokéBlock Gold and PokéBlock Silver! Feeding your Pokémon a gold block will make it instantly cool! Side-effects may include uncontrollable burping. Increasing charismatic-tism requires a silver block! And those side-effects may include enlarged lips and the uncontrollable desire to kiss things. Now, won't the lady with the Lickitung please open up its mouth?" The woman does so as Lickitung was reluctant to do so, but it was for the sake of the scam. The second con man tosses the gold PokéBlock into the Licking Pokémon's mouth and he swallows it. "Hey, what's that over there?" The male Coordinator looked and the woman quickly placed a trenchcoat, a fedora, and a pipe to make it look cool. He was like Humphrey Bogart. "Lookie here, my boy!" The man turned to see Lickitung looking so cool.
"Licktung," Lickitung said, sounding cool in a deep voice.
"Wow! Look at you! I'll pay whatever it costs!" The man exclaimed.
"You got it!" The second con artist said. The man payed for the purchase and ran out like a mad man.
"First place ribbon, here I come!" The man yelled. The con artists all chuckled, knowing that they bought it.
"That was way easier than I thought," the third con artist said.
"It sure was," the female con artist said. "If the Coordinators are just as clueless as him, then we'll be make so much money, we'll be retiring and living in a beach house on Akala Island."
"I'd like that," the second con artist said.
"But it's just getting started. By the time those fools realized this stuff's a fake, we'll be long gone and we'll be rolling in doe," the first con artist said.
"Yeah!" The con artists all said, hi-fiving each other.
Meanwhile, Lisia has dressed in her Contest Idol and let out Ali to make her appearance, sponsoring the Fallarbor Town Pokémon Contest.
"You ready, Ali?" Lisia asked.
"Altaria," Ali answered.
She and Ali stepped out of the Contest Hall to greet her fans and scout out a new talent.
"Hi, everybody!" Lisia greeted in a sing-song tone.
"Taria!" Ali also greeted.
Over to Sora, he was challenged into a double battle. He was up against a a man wearing a brown sleeveless vest and a black hat along with a pair of brown boots.
"My next opponent is some scrawny kid?" The man laughed. "Why don't you go on home to mommy before you hurt yourself, little boy?"
"If you're trying to scare me off, you'll find it won't work, dude. Also, I'm more skillful than you think," Sora said.
"I seriously doubt that, kid," the man said.
It didn't take long before a crowd started to gather. Some of the patrons recognized Sora and they were anxious to see what kind of battle he was going to show them.
"Hey, isn't that Sora Ketchum over there?" One of the Trainers asked.
"It is! And he's challlenging Hunter McCloud into a battle!" Another Trainer stated.
Coming through the crowd, it was Drew who came through the crowd.
"What's going on?" Drew asked.
"Hunter McCloud is is about to battle the Pokémon League Champion into a battle!" The Trainer told him. Drew was curious to see who he was talking about, only to find it was Sora.
"No way! Isn't that Kairi's boyfriend?" Drew exclaied in his thoughts. Hunter and Sora each took out two Pokéballs.
"Your time to shine, Fearow and Dodrio!" Hunter called out as he threw them. His Fearow and Dodrio both come out with a fiersome expression. Sora threw his.
"Go! Zangoose and Seviper!" Sora called out as his Zangoose and Seviper both had come out to battle. All of the patrons couldn't believe what they were seeing. A Zangoose and a Seviper sharing the same trainer. This didn't phase Hunter one bit.
"Fearow! Dodrio! Drill Peck!" Hunter ordered. Fearow and Dodrio came at their opponents while spinning their bodies like drills.
"Seviper! Zangoose! Dodge!" Sora called out. Seviper and Zangoose avoided the bird Pokémon's attacks. "Zangoose! Use Slash on Fearow! Seviper! Use Poison Tail on Dodrio!" Zangoose slashes right into Fearow and Seviper and smacks Dodrio with his bladed tail emitting poison. Dodrio ends up being poisoned by Seviper's attack.
"Fearow! Steel Wing! Dodrio! Jump Kick!" Hunter ordered. Fearow comes at Seviper with Steel Wing and Dodrio comes down to land a kick onto Zangoose.
"Seviper! Sludge Bomb!" Sora ordered. Seviper fired Sludge Bomb and it struck both bird Pokémon hard. "Zangoose! Use Night Slash!" Zangoose swipes at Dodrio with his claw emitting a dark aura.
"Fearow! Dodrio! Drill Peck!" Hunter ordered. Fearow and Dodrio both came at the unlikely duo again with their beaks spinning around like drills.
"Dodge!" Sora called out. Both Zangoose and Seviper dodges their attacks. "Zangoose! Seviper! Night Slash!" Zangoose and Seviper both swipes at both Fearow and Dodrio with their Night Slash and the both of them. They were both taken down. The crowd cheered as Sora had won.
"I don't believe it! I lost to some little kid!" Hunter exclaimed. Sora went to his Zangoose and Seviper, feeling proud of the both of them.
"Good work, you guys! You both did great!" Sora said. Seviper wrapped his body around Sora as Zangoose hugged him as well. Drew was amazed by his battling skills and he remembered he never had his battle with Sora back in Slateport City before the contest. He calls back his two Pokémon into their Pokéballs. Just when he was about to get back inside the Pokémon Center to rest Seviper and Zangoose he numped right into Drew. "I know you. Drew wasn't it?"
"Gotta hand it to you, that was an impressive battle. No wonder they called you a Pokémon League Champion. I didn't even know about that until I saw you battling," Drew said.
"So, what's up?" Sora asked.
"Just I thought I challenge you into a battle; one-on-one," Drew challenged. Everyone was getting excited to another upcoming battle. "What do you say, Sora? You in?" Sora was skeptical about challenging him.
"Okay, what's the catch? It's not because my girlfriend beat you the last time, is it?" Sora asked.
"No. Just collecting on my promise, after I did prmise you that after I lost to the Trainer with the Eevee," Drew said.
"Okay, I can accept that," Sora said. Both Sora and Drew were going to get ready for their battle. Sora and Drew took out their Pokéballs and threw them.
"Go! Roselia!" Drew called out. His Pokéball opened and his Roselia came out with an elegant stance.
"Go! Torchic!" Sora called out. His Pokéball opened and scratched the ground, ready to battle.
"Roselia! Begin with Magical Leaf!" Drew ordered. Roselia began with Magical Leaf and it struck Torchic hard. "Now use Stun Spore!" Roselia lets out Stun Spore to paralyze the Chick Pokémon.
"Torchic! Dodge with Quick Attak!" Sora ordered. Torchi avoids Stun Spore using his speed attack. "Now use Flame Charge!" Torchic charges towards Roselia with his body surrounded by flames and struck the Thorn Pokémon.
"Not bad, Sora. But not good enough. Roselia! Petal Dance!" Drew ordered. Roselia fires a barrage of flower petals from his roses.
"Torchic! Flame Charge again!" Sora ordered. Torchic charges towards Roselia and struck it again. "Now use Peck!" Torchic pecks Roselia a few times. Drew was even more impressed by his battling skills. Kairi and Angel came back, so Drew thought it was an opportunity to show off right in front of her.
"Roselia! Solar Beam!" Drew ordered. Roselia began to absorb sunlight to build up energy to fire Solar Beam. Sora knew how powerful it was gonna be when it is fired. Roselia fired Solar Beam once it has built up enough energy. The beam of energy struck the ground, creating some some. Drew was confident that he had won, but he was stunned to see his opponent's Torchic was still standing, or should I say running as Torchic used the smoke as a cover to make a run.
"Flame Charge!" Sora ordered. Torchic rammed right into Roselia, earning a knockout. Drew was stunned that he had lost to Sora like he lost to Kairi and Riku. Many of the spectators all cheered for Sora as he had won.
"What can be expected from the Pokémon League Champion of Kanto and Johto?" One of the spectators asked. Drew called back his Roselia and he shook it off like it was nothing.
"Champion or not, you got lucky," Drew scoffed as he walked off inside to have his Roselia healed. Sora called back his Torchic. He saw Kairi and Angel, so he and Pikachu walked up to them.
"Enjoyed the show, Kairi?" Sora asked.
"I just saw the end. Where are Brendan and Lisia?" Kairi asked.
"Well, Brendan went out for a walk, and Lisia said she's going to do another talent scouting, but they're going to meet up with us later," Sora answered. "So how did your practice go?"
"It's going smoothly, Sora," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"I was impressed by your win, Sora," Kairi said.
"Well, you and Riku beat him, and I knew I was going to have a shot with him sooner or later," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
Meanwhile, Rei was walking down the road when she sensed something. He summoned her Keyblade and held it tight. The Eternal Flames came right at her, but she held her Keyblade tight, blocking the chakrams. She saw Axel standing before her.
"So you're Sora's father's apprentice. I gotta say, you're a little younger than I was expecting," Axel said.
"Judging by your attire, you're with Organization XIII," Rei said.
"I was," Axel stated. "I had a feeling that we would cross paths at some point."
"Well, you're gonna regret meeting me," Rei said, coming at her. Axel calls his chakrams and clashed with her Keyblade. She swung her Keyblade again, so Axel blocked with his chakrams again. As they fought, Rei looked at Axel, and he does the same thing. She said in her thoughts, "He's tough. Tougher than I thought. He has a handsome face. Wait, he's the enemy! And I won't let his charming, good looks distract me!"
"She's skilled. If I had a heart, I would say I she's very beautiful, but I'm not going to tell her that," Axel said in his thoughts. They separated from each other and stared at each other in their faces.
"Not too shabby," Rei said.
"I was thinking the same about you, Snow White," Axel said. Rei blushed red when she was called that. Kaito was the only one who called her that. She ends up blushing. "Are you blushing?"
"No," Rei lied. She attempts to strike him down, but he dodged, so he knocked her down on the ground. Axel dismissed his chakrams and pinned her down. "So what happens now?"
"That really depends on you," Axel said. Rei moved her knee over to Axel's crotch and beaned him in the family jewels, so Axel winced and fell to the ground, holding his crotch. He spoke with his voice all high and squeaky, "That was a low blow!"
"Well, you said it depends on me, hothead," Rei said. Axel slowly got up on his feet. "I didn't think a Nobody felt anything."
"It's still a low blow," Axel said. "But that was a mean kick." He chuckled, but regrets doing it. "Ouch."
"Why did you attack me?" Rei asked.
"I was only testing you out," Axel said. "I gotta say, you didn't disappoint me one bit."
"Neither did you," Rei said. "I'll have you know, my name's Rei Sakura, not Snow White. Now, what's yours?"
"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel asked.
"I guess I do. Why is your Organization trying to take out Sora?" Rei asked.
"Now, why would I tell you that?" Axel asked.
"Because you know the reason for it since you're one of them," Rei said.
"I was. I left the Organization, same as my best friend," Axel said.
"Your best friend, huh?" Rei asked.
"Yeah. And they're gunning for me since I left. So I don't have a home to go home to," Axel said.
"Is that even legit?" Rei asked, skeptical.
"I know you find it hard to believe, but it's true. Roxas and I were inseparable, but then he had to go away to make it right," Axel said. Rei looked at him and she felt sorry for him. She felt that Roxas is someone she should know about, and it struck a particular cord with her. She placed her hand on his, surprising him.
"If this Roxas is your best friend, then can you at least tell me about him? Please?" Rei requested. Axel nodded.
Meanwhile, it was night as Ash was sleeping in his sleeping bag as Leaf was asleep in hers. As Ash slept, he has another vision of the past.
Ash sees Viento in Radiant Garden, shortly after Gaia and Cascade left. He was swinging a wooden Keyblade and has "Gaia" carved on the guard. He accidentally threw it, so two boys are walking along.
One with red fire spiky hair and blue-green eyes. He wore a sleeveless orange jacket with a white, sleeveless shirt underneath, and tan, baggy pants with red and white sneakers and black socks. The pockets of his jacket are a much darker shade of orange than the rest of it. He also wears a yellow and brown keffiyeh around his neck.
The other teenage boy has short sky blue hair and green eyes. He wore short-sleeved, navy blue jacket with a light blue stripe going along his shoulders to the ends of his sleeves. The jacket's collar is rather high and sky blue in coloration, as are the ends of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the jacket. There is a yellow crescent moon symbol prominently displayed on the left breast of the jacket. He also wore shoes with what appears to be a grayish trim on the bottom.
Ash took a good look at the two boys and he realized who one of them was. They were younger than Axel and Saïx, so they were both teenagers. Teenage Axel picked up the wooden Keyblade in his hand.
"Is that Axel? But who's the other one?" Ash asked.
"This yours?" The fire red haired boy asked.
"Lea, we don't have time for this," the blue haired boy said.
"Lighten up, Isa! It'll only take a sec," Lea said before he walked up to Viento. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." Viento groaned. "Now, this right here-" He tossed the wooden Keyblade on the ground and brings out two frisbees with grinning flames. "Tada! Whaddya think?" Viento just looked at the frisbees, unimpressed.
"Not a whole lot," Viento said.
"You're just jealous. I'm Lea. Got it memorized? What's your name?" Lea asked.
"Viento," Viento answered.
"Okay, Viento. Let's fight," Lea said.
"Fight? Why would I wanna do that?" Viento asked.
"You scared of losing? C'mon," Lea said as he hops a few feet back. "Hope you're ready!" Viento got up on his feet and held the wooden Keyblade in the same style as the Wayward Wind. "Yeah! Now we're talkin'."
"You're gonna be sorry," Viento said.
Isa laughs and then Lea and Ven spar. Lea falls over exhausted.
"You...had enough?" Lea panted. "'Cause I'm willing...call it a draw if you are." Lea said. Viento was a bit confused, but he then laughed.
"Right," Viento said.
"From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'Loser'...'Lame,' 'Laughable'..." Isa said.
"Wha?! Isn't this the part where ya...cheer me up or somethin'? 'You're just havin' a bad day.' or...'That's what you get for pullin' your punches!' Some friend," Lea said.
"Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie," Isa said.
"Ya see what I gotta put up with? Sure hope you don't have friends like him," Lea said. Viento, Lea, and Isa all shared a laugh. Ash just watched on and looked at the two of them.
"Was he Axel's best friend before he was turned into a Heartless? What happened to make it fall apart?" Ash asked.
"Lea, we have to go," Isa said.
"'Kay," Lea said.
Isa turns to walk away and Lea stands up.
"Already?" Viento asked.
"I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now. Get it memorized," Lea said.
"Okay, Lea," Viento said with a smile.
Lea joins up with Isa as he sighs while shaking his head.
"What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?" Isa asked his friend.
"I want everybody I meet to remember me! Inside people's memories, I can live forever!" Lea said.
"I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time," Isa said.
"See, I'm immortal!" Lea said.
"You're obnoxious!" Isa laughed. "Come on, let's go."
The two of them looked at the castle in the distance. Ash looked at the castle. "What could they be up to?"
"You ready?" Lea asked. Isa looked at Lea and saw the look on his face.
"Well, I can tell you are," Isa said.
"Yeah," Lea said.
"Must be nice...knowin' who your friends are," Viento said. Ash heard him say that.
Ash then wakes up and he just couldn't help but smile.
"Lea. Axel's original self before he was a member of Organization XIII. I never would have guessed," Ash said in his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Kairi and Angel were out on a walk when they spotted a huge crowd.
"I wonder what's going on," Kairi said.
"Vee," Angel said.
"You think we should have a look, Angel?" Kairi asked.
"Eevee," Angel nodded.
"Step right up and imagine if you will when a Pokémon eats this PokéBlock," the female con artist said.
"Its increased coolness and charismatic-tism then increases immediately!" The second con artist added.
"Don't take our word for it! Take theirs!" The first con artist said, pointing to the third con artist with his Cacturne, looking like a punk rock band member. Kairi looked at the Cacturne and took out her Rotom Phone. She scanned it.
Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokémon
The evolved form of Cacnea
Type: Grass/Dark
During the daytime, Cacturne remains unmoving so that it does not lose any moisture to the harsh desert sun. This Pokémon becomes active at night when the temperature drops.
"Hm, so that's what Cacnea evolves into," Kairi commented.
"Man, how cool is that?" One boy asked.
"This PokéBlock must be incredible!" One girl said.
Before long, they all started to demand for the gold and silver PokéBlocks.
"Excuse me, but what are they selling?"
"Miracle PokéBlock Gold and Silver! That stuff works wonders!" The man explained.
"Miracle PokéBlock? Something tells me that this is the kind of scheme Team Rocket would cook up if Giovanni didn't give the axe to them. And if it was, then Sora would be having himself a laughing fit hen he hears this," Kairi said in her thoughts. She held it up for Angel. She asked out loud, "What do you think, Angel? You think something is wrong?" Angel sniffed it and she gagged when she didn't smell anything familiar.
"Vee," Angel gagged.
"I thought so," Kairi said.
"If I may," a familiar voice spoke up. It turns out to be Grace who is on the scene with her Medicham. "Just what is your magical PokéBlock made out of, huh?"
"You know, I'm starting to agree. What kind of berries did you use to make these?" Kairi asked.
"Um, good question," the second con artist said.
"So, answer her already," the female con artist said.
"You didn't tell me berries were involved!" The second con artist whispered, gritting his teeth.
"I didn't think there were berries involved," the first con artist also whispered.
"Just as I expected!" Grace said. She turned to the crowd. "Listen, everyone, why would any of you give your Pokémon some PokéBlock without knowing what's in it?"
"She's right. I made my own PokéBlock and I do it without relying on short cuts and some magical PokéBlock to make my Pokémon tough, beautiful, or confident," Kairi said.
"Eevee!" Angel said.
Now the crowd felt foolish since they were almost duped by con artists out of their money. They didn't feel like real Coordinators since they now realized they didn't want to win that way. Grace glared right at the con artists. She then laughed extremely hard.
"What a scam! I can't believe you all fell for that! They were just phonies!" Graced exclaimed as she laughed.
The crowd felt even more foolish when she was laughing hard.
"Okay, the Torracat's out of the bag, and it's all your fault!" The female con artist hissed.
"You're gonna pay for that!" The third con artist said.
"Pay through the nose!" The second con artist added.
The three con artists threw their Great Balls to let out a Raticate, a Venomoth, and a Lickitung. The third con artist and his Cacturne turned to the two Coordinators and attacked.
"Cacturne! Use Needle Arm!" The third con artist ordered. Cacturne came at them with its needles sticking up.
"Medicham! Use Ice Punch!" Grace ordered. Medicham lands an Ice Punch, giving it an uppercut, and sending it backwards.
"Angel! Use Iron Tail!" Kairi ordered. Angel swings her tail and lands a hit onto Lickitung.
"Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!" The first con artist ordered.
"Venomoth! Use Bug Bite!" The second con artist ordered.
"Lickitung! Use Stomp!" The female con artist ordered.
Raticate, Venomoth, and Lickitung moved in to land their attacks on the female Eevee.
"Angel! Use Swift!" Angel fired her Swift, hitting all three of them at once.
"Cacturne! Use Drain Punch!" The third con artist ordered. Cacturne rushed at Angel to land a punch.
"Medicham! Use High Jump Kick!" Grace ordered. Medicham jumped and came down at Cacturne, landing a devastating kick. Cacturne is sent flying right at the con artists and their Pokemon, knocking them all out. Just then, Officer Jenny arrived to the scene in her police car. She stepped out.
"What is going on over here?!" Officer Jenny asked. She then noticed the four con artists laying on the ground, beaten. "Oh, the Kanker siblings. I thought I smelled your stink from the police station. You're under arrest!" She took out her hand cuffs and placed them on each one of their wrists.
"You know these four, Officer Jenny?" Grace asked.
"Know them? We've been after these four for months. They're wanted all through the Hoenn region for fraud. They had their grubby hands in everything from fake jewelry to phony PokéBlock. Their crime spree is now officially over," Officer Jenny said, taking the crooks to the back of her police car and drove off.
"I thought something was off when I saw those," Kairi said.
"I gotta say, Kairi, you would make a good detective if you wanted to," Grace said.
"I appreciate the complement, Grace," Kairi said. "But you were the one who exposed those phonies, so you saved the day." Grace then started to laugh again.
"I saved the day?!" Grace laughed. "That's a good one!" Grace said, accidentally, knocking Kairi down. "Oops. Sorry."
"It's okay, Grace," Kairi said.
Just then, Sora, Brendan, Lisia, and Pikachu arrived to the scene.
"Is everything okay? We heard there was a brawl going on here, so we came as soon as we could," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"It's okay, Sora. The situation was dealt with," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Better late than never. Just what happened?" Brendan asked.
"Oh, there were just some crooks giving out some bogus PokéBlock, but I saw through their scam, and Grace exposed them, and they're already heading for the police station to be booked," Kairi said.
"I thought it had something to do with that gold and silver PokéBlock. I was hearing how people were talking about it, but I'm glad someone got to the bottom of it," Lisia said.
"Yeah, too bad we missed out," Sora pouted.
"Sora, don't pout," Kairi said, making Brendan and Lisia laugh.
We'll have to end the chapter right here for now, but the Fallarbor Town Pokémon Contest can go on as planned in the next chapter, so be sure to keep your fingers crossed if you're expecting for some excitement.