Episode 389: When Pokémon Worlds Collide

After Piplup has made a full recovery, Dawn and Piplup leaves the Pokémon Center to search for more Pokémon to catch.

"Okay, Piplup, we can just try again to capture some new Pokémon, so what do you say?" Dawn asked.

"Piplup," Piplup said.

Just then, Officer Jenny came riding in on her motorcycle.

"Excuse me, young lady, but have you seen any strange creatures by any chance?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Strange creatures? I don't know what you mean," Dawn said.

"Well, I have been getting reports of their sightings. People often mistook them for Pokémon, but they attack human beings without a reason. So, if you see any of these creatures, steer clear," Officer Jenny said.

"No need to worry, officer. I'll be careful," Dawn said.

"I hope so. Here is my number and ask for Jenny, that's me. And I'll come along when I can," Officer Jenny said.

"I will," Dawn said, placing the card in her pocket.

"Have a good day," Officer Jenny said, riding off.

"Strange creatures in the area. That sounds pretty scary, don't you think?" Dawn asked.

"Piplup," Piplup said, sounding scared.

"You're not scared of anything, are you?" Dawn asked, raising a brow.

"Piplup!" Piplup said, making it tell Dawn that it isn't afraid.

"I thought so. Let's go," Dawn said.

"Piplup!" Piplup said.

"Off to catch some more Pokémon!" Dawn said.

"Piplup!" Piplup said.

And so, Dawn and Piplup continued on their quest to catch some more Pokémon and build up her team for before the Pokémon Contest.

Meanwhile, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, Michael, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, and Maple continued on when they heard a sound.

"Okay, you up for it, Chimchar!" A voice said.

"Chimchar!" Another voice said.

"You hear that?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, it sounded close," Lyra said.

"Marill," Lyra said.

They got close to the source of the sound and they saw Lucas along with his Chimchar, battling against a quadrupedal, feline Pokémon resembling a lion cub or lynx kitten. Its front half is light blue, while the rear is black. There is a short tuft of fur on its head and smaller tufts on each cheek. It has large, oval ears with yellow, star-shaped markings on the insides; yellow eyes; and a tiny, red nose. Whenever its mouth is open, small fangs can be seen in its upper jaw. A black marking encircles its neck like a collar, and there are yellow bands above its forepaws. The hind paws are black on the on it. Spiked fur surrounds the base of its long tail, which is tipped with a yellow star shape.

"That could be a Chimchar," Ash said.

"Let's have a look," Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned it.

Chimchar, the Chimp Pokémon

Type: Fire

It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps.

"What's that other one?" May asked.

"That's a Shinx," Michael said.

Kairi took out her Rotom Phone and scanned it.

Shinx, the Flash Pokémon

Type: Electric

All of its fur dazzles if danger is sensed. It flees while the foe is momentarily blinded.

"Okay, Chimchar, you ready to go?" Lucas asked.

"Chimchar," Chimchar said.

"Great! Use Scratch!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar rushed at Shinx to land a Scratch, but Shinx fought back by landing a Bite on Chimchar's arm. "Shake Shinx off your arm!" Chimchar gave Shinx a punch, forcing Shinx to let go. Shinx then fired a Thunder Shock. The attack hits Chimchar on the mark before charging in with a Tackle. "Dodge it and use Ember!" Chimchar fired Ember at Shinx, hitting it. Lucas took out a Pokéball and threw it. Shinx flowed inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "Yes! And Shinx is in!"

"Chimchar!" Chimchar said. The Chimp Pokémon noticed the group. "Chimchar, Chimchar."

"What's wrong, Chimchar?" Lucas asked as Chimchar is pointing. He turned to see the group. "I guess we had a small audience." Chimchar climbed up on Lucas's shoulder. He took a good look at the group. "Hey, I know you!" Lucas approached the group. "Aren't you Sora Ketchum, the Pokémon League Champion of the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn?"

"Um, yeah," Sora replied.

"I thought you looked familiar. I watched your battles from the Hoenn Pokémon League. And you're Brendan, aren't you?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I am," Brendan said.

"And you're Ethan, and you're Ash. It's an honor to be meeting you!" Lucas said.

"And somehow the Pokémon Stadium Cup is ignored," Chase said.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"What brings you out here in the Sinnoh region?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, just opened for some adventure," Sora said. That was at least, the half-truth since he didn't want to tell more than he can explain. But Sora had to see if it was possible for Lucas to be one of the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts. "Anyway, since you know our names, what's yours?"

"My name's Lucas. I came from Twinleaf Town," Lucas said.

"Lucas?" Roxas asked.

"Hey, I think we met your family in Twinleaf Town," May said.

"Really?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, you have a sister named Wendy, do you?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. You were at my house? I guess I missed out," Lucas said.

"Don't sweat it. We were only there for a little while. Just for my egg to hatch. They were nice people," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Anyway, we'll heading for Oreburgh City for a Gym battle, so how would like to join us for a bit?" Sora offered.

"Really? I would like nothing more than to join you," Lucas said.

"Great," Ash said.

"Anyway, I'm Kairi, and this is Angel," Kairi introduced.

"Eevee," Angel said.

"I'm Leaf."

"My name's Kris."

"I'm Lyra, and this is Marill," Lyra introduced.

"Marill," Marill said.

"I'm Chase and this is Volt," Chase introduced.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"I'm Elaine, and this is Maple," Elaine introduced.

"I'm May."

"My name's Michael."

"I'm Wes."

"My name's Rui."

"I'm Roxas, and this is Xipak," Roxas introduced.

"Pikachu," Xipak said.

"I'm Xion, and this is Celeste," Xion introduced.

"Nice to meet you guys. Lucas is my name, but you already know that," Lucas said.

"So, Chimchar is the Pokémon you got from Professor Rowan, right?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah. Chimchar is my trusty partner," Lucas said.

"Chimchar," Chimchar said, heading for Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, and Maple. Chimchar smiled as it shook hands with Pikachu.

"It looks like they found a new friend in Chimchar," Kris said.

"They're really hitting it off right off the bat," Chase said.

"They really do like him," Kairi said.

"Him?" Lucas asked.

"Chimchar. Your Chimchar's a boy," Kairi said.

"Chimchar," Chimchar nodded.

"How do you know?" Lucas asked.

"Kairi can tell rather if a Pokémon is a boy or a girl," Leaf said.

"Wow, that's cool," Lucas said.

Lucas joined the group and started to make their way to Jubilife City.

Meanwhile, in Count Ernesh's mansion, Count Ernesh kneels before his master.

"My Master, Xigbar has just made contact. With your permission, we can now, finally strike against the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts," Count Ernesh said.

"Yes, we can. Our time of hiding has officially ended. We will catch Rei Sakura's apprentices by surprise," Insidious said.

"I will dispatch Lucius, Kanako, and Silver Moon at once, my Lord. Now, if you excuse me," Count Ernesh said, standing up and walking out.

Meanwhile, Takato, Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Ryo, Suzie, and Guil are wondering the fields of Sinnoh, searching for Pokémon to catch when Henry saw a Buneary with pink fur and pink fluff on its ears, and has blueish-purple skin, a lavender nose, and it's eyes light up pale blue. Deciding to catch this Buneary for Suzie, Henry hid behind a boulder just so the Buneary wouldn't see him. Henry took out a Pokéball and he threw it at the Buneary, catching it. The Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Henry went over to the Pokéball and picked it up.

"Got it," Henry said.

"What did you get, Henry?" Jeri asked.

"Just this. And it's for Suzie," Henry said.

"Weawwy, Henwy?" Suzie asked.

"Yeah. Here," Henry said, letting out the Buneary. Stars swirls around the Rabbit Pokémon when he let it out.

"Hey, a Buneary," Takato said.

"And a Shiny one," Ryo said.

"Now, Suzie, I caught this Buneary for you to take care of it. Your responsibility is to keep Buneary out of trouble, okay?" Henry asked.

"Okay, Henwy! You wemind me of Wopmon! We're gonna be fwiends fowever, Buneawy!" Suzie said. Buneary looked at Suzie and instantly forged a bond with her and hugged Suzie.

"Charmeleon," Guil said.

"You're right, Guil. Those two are really hitting it off," Takato said.

Back with Dawn and Piplup, they continue on with their search for some wild Pokémon to catch when they heard something.

"Pip?" Piplup asked.

"I heard it, too, Piplup. It's gotta be another Pokémon," Dawn said. They waited anxiously, but they saw a Shadow emerged the ground. "What kind of Pokémon is that?"

"Pip?" Piplup asked.

"Better figure it out," Dawn said, taking out her Rotom Phone and scanned it.

Not Pokémon! Not Pokémon! Not Pokémon! Not Pokémon!

"Wait, it's not a Pokémon?" Dawn asked. The Shadow then charges right at her. She gasped when Piplup sprang into action and pecked at the Heartless. "Piplup, way to go!" Piplup fired Bubble Beam, hitting the Shadow and destroyed it. "Piplup, you killed it."

"Piplup?" Piplup asked.

"That must one of those things Officer Jenny was just telling us about. At least it was just one. Let's go," Dawn said.

"Lup," Piplup said.

Little does Dawn knows that it's only the start of her troubles.

Meanwhile, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, Wes, Rui, Michael, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, and Maple saw several Starly fly away along with an electricial spark in the distance.

"You see what I see?" Lucas asked.

"An electric attack," Elaine said.

"We better have a look to see what it is. And everyone, be ready," Sora said. Everyone except Lucas understood what he meant by it. As they go have a look, they see the boy and Elekid from earlier. Paul spotted a Starly flying. This Starly has a smaller mark on its forehead than Sora, Roxas, or Lucas's Starly. He threw a Pokéball at the Starly, making it flow inside. "Good. Just some kid." Sora was relieved since he thought he was gonna see some Heartless. Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, Michael, and the Pokémon shared his relief. Chase then gave a small sneeze. Hearing the sneeze, he and Elekid turned to see the group.

"Gesundheit," Lucas said.

"What do you think you're doing spying on me?" The boy asked.

"We weren't spying on anybody. We just saw your electrical show and we came here," Sora said.

"Whatever," the boy scoffed. He spotted Lucas. "Hey, I know you. I watched you catch a Starly earlier. You think that Starly is good enough? Wouldn't you be better off catching for the strongest Starly you can find?"

"Oh, and you would know?" Lucas asked.

"You can scan for the strongest attacks that any Pokémon you find by scanning them with your Rotom Phone. Didn't you know? It saves you a lot of grief," the boy said, taking out three Pokéballs and let out the three Starly.

"You have three Starly?" Roxas asked. He is now scanning the Starly with his black Rotom Phone.

"Now, Aerial Ace. And the big winner is..." The boy said, calling back the three Starly. He puts one to the side and held the other two Pokéballs. "Take a hike. I don't need you!" He threw the two Pokéballs, letting out the two Starly. Instead of the usual white flash, they gave off a blue flash upon release. Kairi could tell he kept the one he caught when they saw him.

"You just let them go?" Sora asked.

"The only moves those two Starly knew was Tackle and Growl, so they wouldn't be any use to me," the boy said.

"Any Pokémon can get stronger when you train them properly," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Whatever," the boy said, taking off.

"Man, what a jerk. He makes Harley look like a nice guy," May said.

"Forget about him, May. Let's just keep going before-" Sora paused when he heard the sound of a scream not too far away. "-something happens."

"Get away from me!" A girl's voice yelled. Lucas recognized the voice.

"Dawn!" Lucas exclaimed, Lucas ran to the source of the scream.

"Lucas, wait!" Wes called out.

The group went after Lucas. Lucas ran ahead and he saw the Heartless. The Heartless consisted of Shadows, Soldiers, Large Bodies, Armored Knights, Watchers, Darkballs, Wyverns, Wizards, Defenders, and Neoshadows. Dawn and Piplup ran to avoid the Heartless attacks.

"What are they?" Lucas asked.

Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, Michael, and the Pokémon arrived and saw them.

"Heartless!" Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, and Michael exclaimed, making Lucas looked at them.

"We've only been here for less than a day and we already have Heartless to deal with!" Ethan said.

"Kairi, May, get to that girl and that Pokémon!, and get them to safety! The rest of us will draw their attention!" Sora said.

"You can count on us," May said.

"On it!" Kairi said.

"Eevee!" Angel said.

With that said, they all rushed in to aid Dawn as Kairi, May, and Angel went to help out Dawn. Sora and the rest have grabbed the attention of the Heartless. The Soldiers were about to attack her when Angel fired Swift at the Heartless, destroying them. Dawn saw Kairi and May run up to her.

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, but-" Dawn was cut off.

"Don't worry, you're okay," May said.

"You're lucky we got here just in time." - Angel subtitle.

"I don't know who you are, but thanks for the save." - Piplup subtitle.

"We really don't need a reason to help a fellow Pokémon in trouble. I only did it because it was right." - Angel subtitle. Kairi, May, and Angel got Dawn and Piplup out of harms way.

Once that was done, they all summoned their Keyblades, surprising Lucas and Dawn.

"Are those keys?" Dawn asked.

"Those are big keys, but they're holding them like they're swords," Lucas said.

"Take down every Heartless that you see!" Sora said.

With that said, they engaged the Heartless, striking down the Shadows, Soldiers, Armored Knights, and Watchers. The Large Bodies and the Defenders were difficult opponents to beat since they kept moving around. Kairi casts a crystal blizzard spell, hitting the Heartless. Dawn was awestruck by what she saw.

"Is that magic?" Dawn asked.

A Defender spewed fire her way, but Roxas struck the Defender from behind as Xion slashed through a Wizard, Neoshadow, and Wyvern. Sora threw his Kingdom Key at a Large Body with it emitting aura and struck it down. The Kingdom Key came back to his hand.

"Aura Thunder!" Sora shouted, casting an aura thunder spell. "Try this! Aura Fire!" He casts an aura fire spell, burning them as Wes struck down two Armored Knights and Michael sstruck down a Soldier. Neoshadows came right for them as Dawn gasped, but Ash and Leaf saved them by striking them down as Ethan, Kris, and Lyra casts a water spell, washing away the Shadows. Brendan slammed his Omega Ruby Groudon on the ground, making the ground quake. That destroyed the surrounding Heartless. They kept up the fight until the last of the Heartless were defeated.

"Man, I didn't expect those things to come out and attack so soon," Chase said.

"Well, to tell the truth, I would be surprised if the Heartless, Nobodies, or Unversed didn't show up at all," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"So would I," Kairi said.

"Eevee," Angel said.

"We gotta check on that girl and see if she's alright," Kris said.

"You're right," Sora agreed. They all dimissed their Keyblades. They went over to Dawn and Piplup. "Those things didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No. but it was a close call. Thanks for helping out," Dawn said.

"We're just glad you're okay," Elaine said.

"Eevee," Maple said.

"Anyway, I'm Sora and this is Pikachu," Sora introduced.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"My name's Kairi and this is Angel," Kairi introduced.

"I'm Ash."

"My name's Leaf."

"I'm Chase and this is Volt," Chase introduced.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"My name's Elaine and this is Maple," Elaine introduced.

"Eevee," Maple said.

"My name's Ethan."

"I'm Kris."

"My name's Lyra and this is Marill," Lyra introduced.

"Marill," Marill said.

"I'm Brendan."

"Hi, my name's May."

"I'm Wes."

"I'm Rui."

"My name's Michael."

"Nice to meet all of you. My name's Dawn, and this is Piplup," Dawn introduced.

"Piplup," Piplup said.

"Let's hear what the Pokédex app has to say about you," Sora said, taking out his Rotom Phone and scanned Piplup with it.

Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon

Type: Water

Piplup are known to be poor walkers, so they fall over. This Pokémon's pride makes it puff up its chest without any care.

"Oh, he's such a cutie," Kairi cooed.

"Piplup," Piplup said, blushing over being called cute.

"Wait, Piplup's a boy?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, he is," Kairi said.

"Kairi can tell when a Pokémon is a boy or a girl," Lyra said.

"Marill," Marill said.

"She did that with my partner," Lucas said, showing up.

"Lucas, forgot you were still there," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Dawn, you alright? Those monsters didn't hurt you, did they?" Lucas asked.

"I'm fine. But what were those things, and what about those giant keys you were just holding?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else and have a talk," Kairi said. They took off, unaware of the boy and his Elekid. They were watching the fight against the Heartless go down.

They made it far enough from the fight scene and they filled Lucas and Dawn in about the Keyblade.

"So, they're called Keyblades?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, and we use them to fight off the Heartless," Elaine said.

"Heartless?" Dawn asked.

"Those monsters you saw us fighting earlier," Brendan said.

"The Heartless are born from the darkness in the hearts of every living creature. That includes humans and Pokémon. When the darkness in the heart grows too much, then the person becomes a Heartless," May said.

"We know about it since we saw it happen before," Kris said.

"Um, how does that even happen?" Lucas asked.

"Well, from we know, the darkness in a person's heart can grow like crazy when the person feels all sorts of bad emotions like anger, jealousy, hatred, and greed," Ash said.

"The Heartless aren't the only ones to worry about. There are also the Nobodies," Leaf said.

"Nobodies?" Dawn asked.

"Well, when someone with a strong heart turns into a Heartless, a Nobody is created when it happens," Roxas said.

"Nobodies are a lot smarter than Heartless, because they can actually," Ethan said.

"And they can make plans," Xion said.

"And they pretend to have emotions," Wes said.

"And there's the Unversed. They're monsters that are born from negative emotions. Emotions like fear or sadness," Kairi said.

"We use our Keyblades to fight them off," Rui said.

"Wow, that's awesome. Not just Pokémon Trainers, but monster hunters, too," Dawn said.

"We're not sure about monster hunters, but that's one way to look at it," Chase said.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"Granted that we put down monsters," Elaine said.

A little later, everyone made a stop to rest when the boy from before finally caught up with them.

"Oh, it's you again. I don't think we caught your name," Sora said.

"The name's Paul. I was actually looking for you," Paul said.

"What for?" Sora asked.

"I'm challenging you to a battle," Paul said.

"A battle?" Dawn asked.

"Seems like it. A way for a Pokémon to grow strong is by having a battle. Maybe this'll inspire you," Brendan said.

"Okay, Paul, the name's Sora. And I accept your challenge," Sora said.

"Thought you would," Paul said.

"Since you made the challenge, what are the rules?" Sora asked.

"Each one of us uses three Pokémon each, and there are no switching until one of the Pokémon is unable to continue battling. And two out three victories are the winners. You got it?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, I got it," Sora said. He looked over to Starly. "You're up first, Starly." Starly flies right into battle. Paul takes a Pokéball and threw it.

"Starly! Stand by for battle!" Paul called out as his own Starly comes on out. "I'll let you go first!"

"Starly! Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Sora's Starly flies right towards Paul's Starly and lands a hit.

"It's a hit!" Dawn said.

"Right, but it didn't look like it did much damage," Ash said. Dawn looked right at Ash. "I think Paul is testing Sora's attack power."

"Starly! Aerial Ace!" Paul ordered. Paul's Starly darts right into Sora's Starly with great strength.

"Okay, Starly, use Wing Attack!" Sora called out. Sora's Starly flies right at Paul's Starly with its wings out.

"Quick! Double Team!" Paul ordered. Paul's Starly makes several duplicates of itself. Sora's Starly was shocked. The real opposing Starly was flying behind Sora's Starly.

"Watch out! The real one is coming right behind you! Dodge!" Sora called out.

"Aerial Ace!" Paul ordered. Paul's Starly attacked with Aerial Ace since it can't be dodged however despite Sora's Starly was falling down but he quickly recovered as his body glows light-blue, and it quickly zips through the air multiple times before tackling and knocking down Paul's Starly who fell to the ground, much to Paul's annoyance.

"What?! How could Starly do that?" Paul asked.

"That movement was Acrobatics," Xion said.

"Acrobatics? What's that?" Dawn asked.

"It's a Flying-type move which deals some heavy damage if the opponent is holding an item," Leaf said.

"That Acrobatics was amazing, Starly," Sora told his Starly who nodded before calling him back and turned to see Paul. "Looks like one Starly is enough for me."

"Hmph," Paul scoffed before calling back his Starly. "Your puny Starly just had luck, covering up weak attacks by pushing, faith and compassion with the Pokémon is just for the weak, learning moves like that won't save you the next time." Roxas didn't like how Paul insults his adopted brother's Pokémon like that. "That's all you got?" Sora took out his next Pokéball and threw it.

"Go for it, Riolu!" Sora said, throwing his Pokéball and Riolu came out. Paul takes out a Pokéball and threw it.

"Chimchar! Stand by for battle!" Paul called out. Chimchar came on out to battle Riolu.

"Okay, Riolu! This is your first battle. Are you ready for this?" Sora asked.

"Lu!" Riolu said, getting pumped.

"Great, Riolu! Bullet Punch!" Sora ordered. Riolu charges right at Chimchar with his right fist glowing light-blue.

"Ember!" Paul ordered. Chimchar fired Ember, but it bounces off as Riolu repeatedly deflects the opposing attack and lands a hit.

"Great! Now use Force Palm!" Sora ordered. Riolu gave Chimchar a thrusted palm attack.

"Flame Wheel!" Paul ordered. Chimchar rolls into a ball of fire and makes contact with the emanation Pokémon. "Now use Scratch!" Chimchar scratches Riolu.

"Bullet Punch!" Sora ordered. Riolu charges right at Chimchar and they collide. Riolu pushes Chimchar back completely.

"Ember!" Paul ordered. Chimchar fires Ember at the Emanation Pokémon.

"Double Team to dodge!" Sora called out. Riolu avoids the attack by creating clones of himself.

"Now Double Team!?" Paul asked with an annoyed tone.

"Sora is using Paul's strategy against him," Wes said as he is seeing the battle.

"Now, use Vacuum Wave!" Sora ordered.

"Vacuum Wave!" Paul asked in disbelief.

Riolu creates a sphere of wind in its hands. Riolu then fires the wind in the form of a beam at Chimchar, hitting it. Chimchar fell to the ground, beaten. Despite Paul disappointed as he calls back his Chimchar.

"You're still as useless as can be!" Paul scolded.

"Way to go, Riolu!" Sora said as he and Riolu fist-bumped. "It was your first battle ever and you won it without breaking a sweat!" Riolu felt proud of winning his very first battle. Sora called back Riolu and looked over to Pikachu. "You're up now, buddy."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said as he entered to battle. Paul took out a Pokéball and threw it.

"Elekid! Stand by for battle!" Paul called out.

"You'll have the first move this time, Paul." Sora said.

"Thunder! Go!" Paul ordered. Elekid swings its arms around and fires Thunder at the Mouse Pokémon.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodges Elekid's attack by running and Thunder misses. "Good dodge!"

"Elekid! Brick Break!" Paul ordered. Elekid heads for Pikachu to swing its arm at the Mouse Pokémon.

"Pikachu! Block with Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu blocked with Iron Tail. Elekid pressed on as did Pikachu. Pikachu manages to overpower Elekid's Brick Break. "Quick Attack!" Pikachu dashed right into Elekid.

"Dodge and use Thunder!" Paul ordered. Elekid fires Thunder. Pikachu dodges, but Elekid kept on firing.

"Block with Iron Tail!" Sora ordered and Pikachu used Iron Tail but the Thunder's attack was powerful which slightly pushed him back. "You okay, Pikachu?" Sora asked.

"Pika," Pikachu said.

"Good. You took worse hits than that," Sora said.

"I didn't wait for you to put up a longer battle than I thought, however, there's a reason why I let you go first during the first battle." Paul replied.

"Huh?" Sora wondered.

"I was waiting for your Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to return the attack back with Thunder." Paul said.

"But your strategy was turned against you." Sora said. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fires Thunderbolt right at Elekid.

"Protect!" Paul ordered. Elekid forms a protective barrier. Thunderbolt bounces off. "Now, use Brick Break!" Elekid comes at Pikachu with his arm swinging down.

"Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu used Quickly Attack with both attacks colliding but Pikachu was already sweating.

"Give up already." Paul demanded.

"Not so close!" Sora said before ordering. "Use Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail was covered in metal before swinging it.

"Elekid! Use Brick Break!" Paul ordered and both attacked as they both struggled for victory. "I hate to bring bad news." Paul said with a smirk. "Your Pikachu seems all turned around! But Elekid got a free arm!" Sora gasped at this. "Thunder Punch, now!" Paul ordered.

"Not so fast! Iron Tail again!" Sora instructed. Pikachu slammed Thunder Punch out of the way and slammed Elekid away. "Way to go, Pikachu!" Sora said.

"C'mon! Brick Break again!" Paul ordered and Elekid came with Brick Break.

"Quick Attack, quickly!" Sora ordered.

Before Elekid could land a hit, Pikachu lands a fast lightning hit onto Elekid, earning a knockout.

"WHAT?! I LOST TO SOME CHUMP TRAINER?!" Paul exclaimed in anger.

"You lost to me because you were quick to underestimate me. You rely on power alone and that's why you lost," Sora said. Paul was angered not only at his victory, but for how he just lectured him. Paul then took his Starly's Pokéball and threw it, releasing his Starly and she flies off in the forest, however Kairi watches that the released Starly has some scrapes in her body and wants to treat her better than Paul.

"Reason for that, Paul?" Sora asked.

"Because the Starly that I caught is weaker than yours. Soon as I run across a stronger one, I'll just grab it!" Paul said. Sora just sighed, seeing he didn't get it. He takes off. Sora didn't like how he treated the Pokémon he caught.

"Can you believe that guy?" Sora asked, disgusted.

"I know. He didn't have to be a jerk about it," Chase said.

Kairi went over to where the Starly flew off to and he finally found her.

"There you are," Kairi said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. The injured Starly flowed inside and caught it. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

"Is this where you were going, Kairi?" Leaf asked.

"Well, since Paul wasn't going to keep this Starly anymore, I thought I take care of her," Kairi said, holding the Pokéball.

"I think I understand," Leaf said.

The girls rejoined the rest of the group.

"You did a great job, Pikachu," Sora said.

"Wait, doesn't Sora put Pikachu inside his Pokéball?" Dawn asked.

"Pikachu doesn't like to be cooped up inside. Xipak here and the rest are pretty much the same way," Roxas said.

"Pikachu," Xipak said.

"Pokémon are like people, Dawn. They have their own sets of personalities," Wes said.

"It's true," Rui said.

"And what you two saw is something you shouldn't ever do," Sora said. "You must never do what Paul did."

"You don't have to worry, Sora, it won't be a problem," Lucas said.

"No need to worry," Dawn said.

"Piplup!" A voice called out. They saw the wild Piplup.

"Hey, a Piplup!" Kris said.

"Was he following us out here?" Kairi asked.

"That's what it looks like," Sora said, stepping forward.

"Looks bigger than my Piplup," Dawn said.

"What's is he doing out here?" Kairi asked. The Piplup walked up to Sora and pointed his flipper at him.

"Piplup, Pip, Pip, Piplup, Pip! " The Piplup said in a challenging tone.

"Um, are you challenging me?" Sora asked.

"Pip," the Piplup nodded.

"Okay, I can take up on your challenge, Piplup," Sora said. He turned to Pikachu.

"Okay, Pikachu! Get him!" Sora called out. Pikachu rushes out to attack the Penguin Pokémon. Electro Ball!" Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it right at Piplup. The Piplup just jumps out of the way and smacks Pikachu hard with his flipper.

"That was Pound!" Leaf said.

"And it was a pretty strong one, too," Kairi said. Piplup comes at Pikachu with another Pound.

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodged and sends out Thunderbolt, but the Piplup dodges Thunderbolt again. Sora was impressed by both of his speed and strength. "Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Pikachu heads right the Piplup and rammed right into the Penguin Pokémon. That got the Piplup angry and pecks at Pikachu. The Piplup fired a Hydro Pump right at the Mouse monkey Pokémon. "Pikachu! Dodge it! Quick!" Pikachu jumped in the air to avoid Hydro Pump, but it was too powerful and came too fast for him to dodge. "Pikachu!"

"Pikachu must be too exhausted from battling Elekid," Lucas said.

"You're right. Unless Sora comes up with something, then Pikachu will be beaten," Ethan said.

"Man, that Piplup is so much stronger than he looks; especially with that Hydro Pump. I can always respect a Pokémon with spirit like that," Sora said. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Full power!" Sora fired a much stronger Thunderbolt again and again. Thunderbolt eventually hits its mark onto the Piplup. The Penguin Pokémon had taken a blow with Thunderbolt. "Move in with Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail gives off a metallic glow and swings it at the Piplup and lands a successful hit. The Piplup fell on his back. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw. The Penguin Pokémon flows right inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball confirming the catch. "And I got myself a Piplup."

"Pi, Pikachu," Pikachu said, falling forward. Sora caught Pikachu.

"You battled enough for one day. You earned a good rest," Sora said.

"Chu," Pikachu said.

"That was awesome," Dawn said.

"My second catch in Sinnoh. So, Dawn, what are you gonna do?" Sora asked.

"I'm going to he heading for Jubilife City for my Pokémon Contest, so it would it be okay if I tag along with you?" Dawn asked.

"I don't have a problem with that, Dawn," Kris said.

"It'll give us an excuse for us to get to know you and Lucas, Dane," Lyra said. Dawn almost fell forward.

"Um, it's 'Dawn', not 'Dane'," Dawn corrected. her. This earned a laugh from everyone.

"Well, let's go," Sora said.

Joined by Dawn, the group continued on with their journey, so Kairi has earned herself a Starly that once belonged to Paul for a short time and Sora has gained a Piplup. So, they make their start by heading for Jubilife City for a Pokémon Contest coming up. But what kind of adventures could be waiting for them? Well, just you wait and see.