Episode 412: Eterna Forest
I was originally going to make this four chapters, but I decided to make it at least two or three chapters, but I am going to do the Chateau chapter after this one, so be sure you keep your fingers crossed.
Shortly after catching the three Buizel Brothers, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, the DigiDestined, and Zoey resumed their fishing. Lucas managed to get a bite. He pulled it out to reveal it to be a Magikarp.
"A Magikarp! Now, we're talking!" Lucas said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Let's go, Chimchar!" His Pokéball opened and his Chimchar came out. "Scratch!" Chimchar scratches the Fish Pokémon on the mark. Lucas took out a Pokéball and threw it. Magikarp flowed inside it and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Lucas's Pokémon Box goes off asking him if he wants to keep his new Magikarp with him. He chose to send his new Magikarp at Professor Rowan's lab.
"Nice catch, Lucas," Dawn said.
"Thanks, Dawn," Lucas said.
"Say, didn't you catch some other Pokémon before that Magikarp?" Chase asked.
"I caught a Geodude, an Onix, a Machop, a Zubat, and a Porygon," Lucas said.
Kairi gets a bite as well.
"I got something," Kairi said. She pulls it in. It fought her for a little while until Kairi gave it one, good yanks and she sees a sea slug-like Pokémon. It has black oval-shaped eyes with yellow outlines, minuscule, dot-shaped noses, and wide yellow lips. It also has a mantle covering the top half of its body. Its mantle is outlined in yellow, similar to its eyes. It has a bulbous heads and four small feet rather than one large foot. Its underside is white, and its mantle is pink, with several small spike-like protrusions on its back. On its head is a ring of pink, fleshy knobs resembling the gills of a nudibranch.
"A Shellos!" Brendan said.
"Let's see," Kairi said, taking out her Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Shellos West Sea Form, the Sea Slug Pokémon
Type: Water
This form of Shellos is said to be the result of its exposure to warm waters. When it senses danger, it sends out a purple liquid ooze that scientists believed it to be sweat induced by stress.
"West Sea?" Kairi asked.
"My dad told me about Shellos before. Their coloring and appearance depends on where Shellos lives. I guess we now which side we're on that these Shellos can be found," Brendan said.
"And I know I'm going to catch this one," Kairi said. She took out a Pokéball and threw it. "You're up, Cherubi!" Her Pokéball opened and her Cherubi came out to battle. Shellos begins with a Water Pulse and sends it at Cherubi. "She's starting with Water Pulse! Dodge and use Magical Leaf!" Cherubi dodges Shellos's Water Pulse and sends out a Magical Leaf, hitting the Sea Slug Pokémon on the spot. Shellos sends out a Mud-Slap, hitting Cherubi, blinding her.
"What was that?" Dawn asked.
"That was Mud-Slap! It cuts the accuracy of any Pokémon it hits," Kris said.
"Luckily for Kairi, her Cherubi knows Magical Leaf, because that never misses," May said.
"Magical Leaf!" Kairii ordered. Cherubi fired another Magical Leaf, hitting Shellos on the mark. Kairi took out a Pokéball and threw it. Shellos flowed inside and the Pokeéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Kairi's Pokémon Box goes off asking her if she wants to keep her Shellos with her. She chose to send Shellos to Professor Oak's lab. "And I got myself a Shellos."
"Eevee, vee!" Angel said.
"That was awesome, Kairi," Zoey said.
"Thanks," Kairi said.
"Well, it doesn't look like we're getting anything since those Buizel. What about you, Zoey? What are you going to do?" Sora asked.
"I'm going to stick around a little while longer, and see if I can catch a Water-type Pokémon," Zoey said. She saw what looks like a massive manta ray. It is bluish-black, a dark gray underbelly, and has yellow eyes and massive wings and a long-whip. This Heartless shall be known asthe Emperor Ray. "Look out! A monster!" They all saw the Emperor Ray above them.
"A Heartless!" Kairi exclaimed. Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, and Dawn all summoned their Keyblades, much to Zoey's surprise."
"Are those...?" Zoey paused.
"We can explain later. They've got this," Tai said.
"They've got this?" Zoey asked.
"Zoey, stay back, we'll take care of that thing," Dawn said. Not needing to be told again, Zoey and the DigiDestined got to safety as the Emperor Ray flew around and unleashed aquamarine lasers at the Keyblade wielders. They kept on dodging the large Heartless's attack as it came diving down at them like a torpedo. Dawn casts a balloon spell, hitting it. The Emperor Ray swings its tail at the Keyblade wielders, hitting them. Pikachu, Xipak, and Volt unleashed a combo Thunderbolt as Angel, Celeste, and Maple fired a Swift at it. Ash casts a fire spell as Leaf threw her Leaf Green Venusaur at it. Both attacks struck the manta ray-like Pokémon as Kris casts her music spell and Lyra casts a water spell and Marill fired Bubble Beam. Ethan casts a fire spell as Brendan and May came at the Emperor Ray. Lucas and Dawn then casts a double blizzard spell, hitting it. It dove down to land a hit as Lucas and Dawn dodged it. It sends out more aquamarine lasers as Lucas and Dawn then jumped on the large Heartless's back and they slashed at it. Lucas and Dawn dumped off just before the Emperor Ray makes a crash landing. A heart then floats out of its body as it vanished.
"That was close," Sora said, dismissing his Keyblade.
"I'll say it is," Tai said.
"Guys?" Zoey asked.
"I guess we have some explaining to do, don't we?" Kris asked.
"It was gonna come out one way or another," Kairi said.
After dealing with the giant Heartless, the group explained to Zoey about the Keyblade and about the Heartless, the Nobodies, and the Unversed. And they told her everything about their past expeiences. Zoey absorbed everything they had told her, shocked and amazed by she was told.
"Okay, let me see if I am understanding this right. You're telling me that these Heartless are born from the darkness in every heart and there's darkness in every heart, and who ever gives in to the darkness in their hearts or when their heart is stolen by a Heartless then turns into a Heartless," Zoey said.
"Uh-huh," the group said.
"And these Nobodies are empty vessels that are left behind after a strong-hearted person turned into a Heartless, and this Organization XIII had total control over all the Nobodies until you defeated them," Zoey said.
"Check," the group said.
"And these Unversed are creatures that are born from negative feelings, and there are other Keyblade wiedlers you dealt with, right?" Zoey asked.
"That pretty much sums it up," Sora said.
"It sounds pretty strange, but I think I understand it. And what about that one lady I saw you with, along with Riku, Naminé, and those those other three? Are they Keyblade wielders, too?" Zoey asked.
"Yeah, they are. Rei Sakura is our master; our teacher," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"And that makes us her apprentices," Chase said.
"I guess that makes sense," Zoey said before she asked. "Anyway, why did that Heartless even attack you like that?"
"It's because of our Keyblades, Zoey. Well, the Heartless are born from darkness, so our Keyblades were forged from light, so that makes it the only thing the Heartless are scared of. And that's why they're gonna keep coming after us until they get our hearts," May said.
"And they never gotten even close to doing it," Ethan said.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda pooped from that fighting with that Heartless," Lyra said.
"Well, you did put up quite a fight," Joe said.
"And you could use a rest from all the excitement," TK said.
"I'm with TK. I could use some z's," Chase said.
"I guess we can stay here for the night. No point in going with all of us tired," Sora said. The rest of the group all agreed with their leader as they set up camp for the night. As they unrolled their sleeping bags, Zoey approached Dawn.
"Hey, Dawn," Zoey said. Dawn looked at her.
"Hey, Zoey. What's up?" Dawn asked. Zoey sat down next to her.
"I wanted to ask is will it worth it? I mean, having a Keyblade of your own while training Pokémon and competing in Contests," Zoey said.
"Well, Sora, Kairi, and the others made it work out somehow, and I know I can, too. To tell the truth, I'm kinda scared, but Kairi told me as long as we each have have what we're fighting for, then it'll be worth it," Dawn said.
"And what is it that you're fighting for?" Zoey asked.
"The same thing as the rest of us. My mom, my Pokémon, and my friends," Dawn said. Zoey smiled at that. She knew Dawn found it easy.
"Sounds like Kairi was right. Friends, family, and Pokémon are all worth fighting for. And I believe you can make fighting evil monsters and training Pokémon work to your advantage," Zoey said.
"Yeah!" Dawn agreed with a thumbs up.
"Well, you should get yourself some sleep. You're gonna need it," Zoey said.
"Alright," Dawn said as she laid down and she closes her eyes. Zoey looked up to the sky.
"You and Lucas can make it work, Dawn. I am expecting great things from you," Zoey said in her thoughts.
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, Riku is fast asleep and he is tossing and rolling in his sleep. He was having a nightmare that he couldn't believe.
In Riku's dream, the Heartless are swarming all around and they overpowered all of Riku's Pokémon, much to Riku's horror. Riku even saw his friends and his mother being taken by the Heartless.
"Mom, Naminé, Sora, everyone!" Riku exclaimed. He saw his Eevee fight back against the Heartless, but they take him as well. "Eevee! NO!" Riku screamed in anguish. "Why is this happening?!"
"You failed to protect those closest to you," a dark voice said. Riku turned to see Gaianort and he is holding the No Name Keyblade in his hand.
"Terra? Is that you? Why do you look so different? And where did you get that Key-" Riku paused when he looked closer at Gaianort. "Wait, you're not Terra. Who are you? And what are you?"
"Someone just like you. One who also walks on the same path to darkness. It is a huge part of you as it is with me, Riku. You should embrace the darkness. Stop fighting it. Stop hesitating. Let it grow," Gaianort said.
"No! I'm nothing like you!" Riku argued.
"Is that what you think you believe, or are you lying to yourself to deny the truth?" Gaianort asked.
"I don't what you say! I have full control of my darkness! And I'll use it to defeat you if I have to!" Riku said.
"Just like you did with J?" Gaianort asked, making Riku flinch. "I would know, I did the same thing to another once. I channeled the darkness and used it to defeat my enemy. As I recall, you wanted to kill her for what she did to you. The rage you felt for her actions is what gave you real strength!"
"No! I was wrong! I shouldn't have done that to her!" Riku said.
"Why feel remorse for rescuing your closest friend and companion? She felt no remorse for her actions, so why should you?" Gaianort asked. The image of Gaia unleashing the darkness from his Keyblade is shown, hitting Braig when he had both of his eyes. And the image of Riku using the darkness on J is also shown.
"No! I don't want to see it!" Riku exclaimed, horrified. He began to run for it. Riku ran as fast as he could go, but the shadow behind him was growing larger and larger.
"You can't run from who you are, Riku. YOU CANNOT DENY WHO YOU ARE!" Gaianort said as the shadow is revealed to be Master Xehanort.
"You're a creature of the dark," Master Xehanort said as Riku screamed.
He woke up screaming, waking up Naminé, Rei, Eevee, and Azurill.
"Riku! Riku! Riku, calm down!" Rei said, grabbing himby the shoulders.
"Master. I'm sorry for waking you up like that," Riku apologized.
"You had that nightmare again, didn't you?" Rei asked.
"I did," Riku said.
"You wanna talk about it, Riku?" Naminé asked with concern.
"It's fine. It was just a dream," Riku assured his girlfriend. He reminded himself in his thoughts, "It was just a dream.",Rei grew increasingly worried for Riku's well-being. He had been having this nightmare for the last few nights, and she knew the nightmares were getting worse in each night. She knew she had to do something. Rei fell back to sleep.
In her dream, she is greeted by Kaito once again.
"Rei, we need to talk," Kaito said.
"You couldn't have picked a lousy time time come by, Kaito. I didn't think you would come to me even in my dream. You aren't a figment of my imagination, are you?" Rei asked.
"That isn't important, Rei. What is important is your apprentice Riku. The nightmares he had been having lately are getting worse and worse," Kaito said.
"You surely hit the nail on the head on that, Kaito. And I think it has to do with, well, you know," Rei said.
"Yes, I do. But luckily for you, I have a solution for that, Rei. That is you're willing to go along with it," Kaito said.
"If it's anything to help my apprentices, I would do anything. I would give my Keyblade to help out. I just need to know what," Rei said.
"You could send your apprentice away," Kaito said. Rei was shocked.
"You mean just expel him as my apprentice? Is that going to help him? I can't just expel him over an anxiety!" Rei said.
"You misunderstand what I mean, Rei. What I meant is for you to send Riku on a journey to find himself, but in different worlds," Kaito said.
"Different worlds? Are you sure that's the best course of action?" Rei asked.
"I am. And one of the places I am suggesting is to Master Tyr. I believe he can be of great help to him in controlling the darkness he has," Kaito said.
"If you're certain about this, then I will go along with it only because I trust you. I just hope you know what you are doing," Rei said.
"So do I," Kaito said as he vanished.
In reality, Rei is still asleep. She now knew what she had to do it. And she would have to do it as soon as it was morning. As soon as the sun has risen, Rei has brought Riku and Naminé to someplace private.
"Why have you brought us here, Master?" Riku asked.
"I have a task for you, Riku. But before we get down to that, Naminé has informed me that you have a different weapon other than the Keyblades you have given to me to hold. Why did you not use it during our last fight against the Heartless? Why did you not use?" Rei asked.
"I wasn't sure if I should use it. The Soul Eater was forged from darkness, and I was worried it would come out again, Master," Riku explained.
"I see. I can understand why you feel that way, Riku, but I'm afraid your hesitation could fuel the darkness in you since it is tide with your emotions. So, I propose that you go on a journey into different worlds to face your personal demons," Rei said.
"Really? You're seriously going to let me do that?" Riku asked.
"Yes. The only weapon you can take it you is your Soul Eater. I will still hold your Keyblades. In your journey, you will seek a very old Keyblade Master named Tyr. I believe he can be of help," Rei said.
"If it'll help me out, I'll do it, Master. I ask you allow my Eevee and my other Pokémon to accompany me," Riku said.
"Very well. I was going to send Naminé with you on this task anyway. I believe she can be helpful to you," Rei said.
"I will do what I can to help him, Master," Naminé said.
"I know you will, Riku. You will begin on your task immediately. I have arranged a Gummi ship for you to use. The Gummi ship will guide you through the cosmos and you will be able to land in the worlds, but there are worlds where you take on the forms of the local inhabitants. And, you know you shouldn't reveal anyone the existence of other worlds," Rei said.
"Yes, Master," Riku said. He stands up to get ready. "I'll get packing right away."
"Of course," Rei said. She places her hand on Naminé's shoulder. "Naminé, a word."
"Yes, Master?" Naminé asked.
"There's a reason why I'm sending Riku with you, Naminé. I'm worried about Riku's well-being. His recent nightmare fills me with so much concern. And I know you have caught on with it just the same as me, correct?" Rei asked.
"Yes, Master. I am very worried about him," Namimé said.
"As am I. And the reason I am sending you with Riku is because you are the only thing keeping the darkness at check. I fear if I have sent Riku alone, the darkness would grow at an alarming rate if left unchecked. And I suspect that our enemies will be taking advantage of our situation, but we must be on top of them before they're on top of us. So, if this turns out to be too much for Riku, then you must be the one to bring Riku back to me at once," Rei said.
"Okay, Master. I'll do it. I won't let anything happen to Riku," Naminé said.
"I can only hope so, Naminé," Rei said. Riku and Eevee have returned with some needed materials, so Rei summoned a black Gummi ship and climbed in it. They have set off to space. "It probably won't be long until those Keyblade wielders catches on. So, I won't be able to help Riku beyond this point." Rei summoned the Braveheart and Oblivion Keyblades. "I hope it was worth it. And I hope Riku comes back with his darkness under control."
Meanwhile, Count Ernesh has sensed a change.
"Riku has left this world and set off for different worlds. Rei must be sending him to do his own training. This is a task I must address," Count Ernesh said. He stepped out of his chambers and made contact with Kanako, Lucius, and Silver Moon. "Apprentices, it has come to my attention that Riku has left the world and had just embarked on a quest of his own."
"If that's the case, then we must go and deal with him," Silver Moon said.
"No, I can only send one of you to deal with him. The task of dealing with the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts also remains to be our priority. So I will be sending Kanako since she is the most appropriate candidate to deal with Riku and Naminé. You two will continue the task of dealing with Sora Ketchum and the others," Count Ernesh said.
"You gotta be kidding me! You're sending his sister to deal with Riku over us?!" Lucius asked.
"That is what I have decided, Lucius! And I will not tolerate you questioning it!" Count Ernesh argued.
"I won't question it, Master. I still have a score to settle with them," Silver Moon said.
"That you do," Count Ernesh said, breaking contact.
"It seems I got some work to do. You guys better not blow it while I'm gone," Kanako said.
"Don't think you can boss me around," Lucius said.
"Shut up, Lucius," Silver Moon said.
"I'm off," Kanako said, taking off for her mission.
Back with the group, they said their goodbyes to Zoey and promised to meet up with her at Hearthome City. A little while later, they entered Eterna Forest, knowing there could be loads of wild Pokémon in the forest. Just then, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, Maple, Little Mei and all smell something.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Angel added.
"Pikachu…" Volt and Xipak said.
"Vee…" Maple and Celeste said.
"Marill…" Marill said.
"Meowth," Little Mei said.
Just then 3 Electric-type Mice Pokémon along with one Aqua Mouse Pokémon, a Scratch Cat Pokémon and 3 Evolution Pokémon came towards a very large tree and climbed right up in on a binge of honey, feeding on the honey are two Caterpie, a Ledyba, a Shroomish and a Sunkern.
"Little Mei! Where are you going?" Meiko asked. Everyone were all chasing after the Scratch Cat Pokémon through the woods.
"Apparently Little Mei and the Pokémon are after the honey." Cody said.
"Someone must have placed it on that tree to lure those Pokémon." Izzy said and then a Burmy is drawn to the smell of honey and starts to head right for it. "A Burmy."
The Burmy went right up to the tree to have some of the honey. Burmy wanted to get Little Mei to move but accidentally fell off, leaving itself exposed. Burmy hastily puts the leaves right back on as a young woman and a Chansey come right out of the bushes. The young woman has light gray eyes, slightly pale skin, and long dark green hair tied in a segmented ponytail that hangs down in front of her. She wears a modest, conservative outfit that consists of a light green and white long-sleeved semi-jacket, a brown undershirt, a long dark green pleated skirt, and tall brown boots with slightly tall heels.
"Chansey, it's time." The young woman said.
"Chansey," Chansey agreed. The Burmy places the leaves right back in place as she and the Chansey approach the Pokémon. Everyone all sees her, knowing she's a trainer.
"Chansey, use Attract!" The young woman ordered. Chansey uses Attract on the wild Burmy and falls in love with Chansey. "Yes, a male Burmy, like I hoped! How beautiful! Chansey! Double Slap!" Chansey heads for Burmy and lands a Double Slap onto the bagworm Pokémon. Burmy fights back with a Tackle. "Wow, what a great Tackle! Now, Chansey, let's use another Double Slap!" Chansey gives Burmy another Double Slap on the mark, but Burmy starts up by using Protect. "Now, Chansey! Use Egg Bomb!" Chansey fires an egg-like projectile at the Burmy and lands an explosion. Burmy fell to the ground. "That's perfect!" The young woman took out a Pokéball and threw it. Burmy flows right inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirl around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "I've finally got one!"
"Chansey!" The Chansey said. The young woman and the Chansey saw Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, Dawn, DigiDestined and their Pokémon looking at her while Little Mei is still slurping some honey.
"Hello there, were you there long?" The young woman asked.
"Yeah. We were," Sora said.
"Were you the ones who placed that honey there?" Leaf asked.
"Yes I was. My name is Cheryl. It's nice to meet you," Cheryl said.
"I'm Sora, this is my girlfriend Kairi and my brother Roxas," Sora introduced.
"And this is Xipak," Roxas introduced.
"Pikachu," Pikachu and Xipak said.
"Nice to meet you, Cheryl. This Eevee is Angel and she is my sister Xion," Kairi introduced.
"This is Celeste," Xion introduced.
"Eevee," Angel and Celeste said.
"My name is Ash."
"I'm Leaf."
"My name's Ethan."
"I'm Kris."
"Im Lyra, and this is Marill."
"Marill," Marill said.
"I'm Brendan."
"My name's name May."
"I'm Chase and this is Volt."
"Pikachu," Volt said.
"I'm Elaine and this is Maple."
"Vee," Maple said.
My name's Tai."
"I'm Davis."
"I'm Matt."
"I'm Sora, and there are two Sora's in this group," Sora T said.
"My name's Izzy."
"I'm Cody."
"My name's Ken."
"I'm Mimi."
"My name's Joe."
"My name's TK, I'm Matt's brother."
"I'm Kari, and I'm Tai's sister."
"I'm Amy."
"My name's Meiko, and that's Little Mei."
"A pleasure to meet you," Cheryl said.
"Chansey," Chansey said.
"So, Cheryl, what brings you out here?" Sora asked.
"I'm actually looking for Enchanted Honey," Cheryl said.
"Enchanted Honey?" Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Lucas and Dawn asked.
"What's Enchanted Honey?" Ash asked.
"It's a honey that's said to be hundred times sweeter than normal honey," Cheryl explained. "I want it and that's what I came here to find."
"Hundreds of times sweeter. Man, Winnie the Pooh would have loved that" Chase said.
"Yeah, he sure would," Sora said in agreement. "I can imagine how many Pokémon honey like that would attract."
"What makes you think you can find that honey out here?" Xion asked. Cheryl took out a map and shows the group the map of the entire forest.
"Look at this," Cheryl said. "This map is the entire Eterna Forest. And this X is where I'm heading." She points to the X on the map. "It's the Amber Castle."
"A castle?" Sora T asked.
"It's a secret castle that no one's ever been to yet. And that's where the Enchanted Honey is rumored to be," Cheryl said.
"So cool," Davis said.
"You think we can go with you and help you look?" Sora asked.
"I welcome all the help I can get. Thank you. It's always fun to get to know new people," Cheryl said.
"Also, I was wondering why you wanted a boy Burmy?" Mimi asked.
"That's a good question, Mimi. The answer is, I thought of having a male Burmy to evolve into a Mothim," Cheryl explained.
"That's right, that makes sense. Also, a female Burmy evolves into Wormadam," Izzy said.
"I caught three Wormadam and I'll show you to them," Cheryl said, taking out three Pokéballs and letting out her three Pokémon, the same forms of Wormadam as Kairi has in her team.
"All three Wormadam forms," Ehtan said.
"Didn't Kairi have the same ones too?" TK asked.
"Yes." Kairi said.
"Let's see, the Plant Cloak Wormadam came from the forest, the Sandy Cloak Wormadam came from the mountains, and the Trash Cloak Wormadam came from the city," Izzy said.
"With these three, I can see why you wanted a boy Burmy," Tai said.
"But why is Mothim so important to you?" Matt asked.
"A Mothim can use a powerful essence of smell to guide me to the Amber Castle and Enchanted Honey, but I need my new Burmy to evolve into a Mothim before anything else," Cheryl said.
"Maybe we could help Burmy evolve into a Mothim just by battling. Many Pokémon can evolve just by gaining some experience in battle," Joe suggested.
"That's a great idea, Joe." Yolei agreed.
"Yeah, good call," Sora said.
A few moments later it was decided that Sora was going to battle against Cheryl by using Pikachu against Burmy.
"You think Burmy will be able to evolve into a Mothim from this battle?" Cody asked.
"We're gonna have to wait and see if it happens, Cody," May said.
"I agree. This should be good," Izzy said.
"Okay, Cheryl, you can make the first move," Sora offered.
"Thank you, Sora. Burmy! Tackle, let's go!" Cheryl ordered.
"Okay, Pikachu, dodge it!" Sora called out. Pikachu dodges Burmy's Tackle. "Quick Attack!" Pikachu dashed at Burmy with a Quick Attack.
"Protect!" Cheryl ordered. Burmy forms a protective barrier and Pikachu's Protect bounces off. "Bug Bite!" Burmy lands a Bug Bite on Pikachu. "Hidden Power!" Burmy unleashed a Hidden Power, hitting Pikachu on the mark. "Tackle!"
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Pikachu tried to dodge, but Burmy came too fast for Pikachu to dodge, so he successfully landed a Tackle, taking Pikachu down.
"That was wonderful, Burmy!" Cheryl said.
"Burmy!" Burmy said as he suddenly started to evolve.
"Is that…?" Ken asked.
"Yes! It's a Mothim!" Cheryl said happily.
"Looks like you got your wish, Cheryl," Sora said.
"It's thanks to you, Sora," Cheryl said.
"Now that Burmy's a Mothim, it'll be easier to track down that Enchanted Honey," Ethan said.
"Yeah, lead the way, Mothim," Sora said.
Joined by Cheryl, the group followed Mothim to obtain the Enchanted Honey in the Amber Castle, somewhere very far from the heroes, a Pecha berry was lying in the ground, upside down which resembles a heart was on the ground, until a shoe stepped above the berry until crushing it.
"Sora... Kairi...!" A female voice said with venom in the words.
Now speaking of them, Mothim kept on flying and searching for the Enchanted Honey for many hours. So far, they kept hitting dead ends as Mothim kept leading them into some trees with honey on them.
"This isn't going as easy as any of us thought," Davis said.
"No one said it was going to be easy. And if this Amber Castle is so hard to find, I know I'd wouldn't want anyone to find it," Kris said.
"It's getting late. We'll have to press on again tomorrow," Brendan said.
"That's a good idea." Ash said. Everyone all stopped to camp for the night. The group have let out their Pokémon to sleep along with their Trainers.
One the very next morning, they continued their search for the Enchanted Honey. Cheryl ends up getting tangled in some vines when they were going, so Kairi called Staravia to use Air Slash and cut the vines, causing the Kakuna in the tree to fall off.
"Uh-oh! Kakuna!" Sora gasped.
"And Kakuna means Beedrill!" Chase said.
They started to run for it before any of the Kakuna could evolve into an horde of angry Beedrill. Mothim dove in the shrubs and drove out a wild Gloom.
"What Pokémon is that?" Dawn asked.
"It's Gloom, the Weed Pokémon!" A young woman answered, making her appearance from out of nowhere. She has brown eyes and short half-brown, half-black hair. She wore a black long-sleeved crop top that shows her midriff under a green cloak with a black "X" mark in the center. She wore brown cargo shorts and a black belt with a silver buckle around her waist. Finally, she wore green boots with black laces. She does a camera motion with her hands. "It gives off a powerful aroma that can cause those who smell it to faint from two miles away! And this Gloom is a male!" Gloom ran away from Mothim and gave off a foul-smelling aroma.
"And I thought Stunky stunk," TK said, covering his nose.
"You took the words right out of my mouth, little bro" Matt said.
"Aw, I really wanted to catch him, but too late," the young woman said, holding a Pokéball. She spots Bellossom with the group and ran up to the plant-like Pokémon with awe. "Aren't you the prettiest Bellossom?" She nuzzles her in her grip. "I've never seen anything like you before! Who does this little one belong to?"
"Bellossom is my Pokémon," Mimi said.
"I see." The young woman said in realization.
"Bellossom," Bellossom said. She then spotted Mimi's other Grass-types and she became enthralled by them.
"Wow! A Venusaur, a Sunflora, a Skiploom, a Roselia, and a Cacturne! Such a wonderful collection of Grass-types!"
"What's your name?" Lyra asked.
"My name's Gardenia. I came out here looking for Grass Type Pokémon. Anyway, wouldn't you have any Grass Type Pokémon by chance?" Gardenia asked.
"I'm Sora and yes I have some Grass-type Pokémon. I have one of them with me now," Sora said, letting out his Turtwig.
"Oh, a Turtwig! How cute! What other ones do you have?" Gardenia asked.
Well, I have a Venusaur, a Victreebel, a Parasect, an Exeggutor, a Meganium, a Sceptile, a Shiftry, a Shiny Breloom, a Ludicolo, a Cacturne, and a Tropius," Sora answered.
"I also have a Bellossom, a Tangrowth, a Vileplume, a Leafeon, a Jumpluff, a Sunflora, a Shiny Celebi, a Chikorita, a Roserade, a Cradily, a Bulbasaur, Cherubi, and a Plant Cloak Wormadam," Kairi added. Gardenia's face lit up like a little kid at Christmas.
"Really?! You have a bunch of Grass-types?!" Gardenia exclaimed happily.
"Yeah," Sora said.
"And they're very amazing," Kairi said.
"Say, would you like to have a battle with me, Sora?" Gardenia asked.
"Sure. I'll use Turtwig," Sora said and his Turtwig nodded.
"Sora, aren't we in the middle of an important search right now?" May asked.
"It's okay, May, I don't mind if they have a battle. It just nice to let someone have some fun every now and then," Cheryl said.
"She's right, May. It's not like the Amber Castle is going anywhere," Lucas said.
Both of Sora and Gardenia got in position for battle. Gardenia took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Cherubi! Let's go!" Gardenia called out as her Cherubi came out to battle.
"Turtwig! Start things up with Bite!" Sora ordered. Turtwig starts running towards Cherubi and delivers a Bite. Cherubi took the hit and fell backwards. "Razor Leaf!" Turtwig lands a hit onto Cherubi.
"That was impressive Sora. Cherubi! Use Magical Leaf!" Gardenia ordered. Gardenia fires Magical Leaf right at Turtwig.
"Block it with Razor Leaf!" Sora ordered. Turtwig blocked Magical Leaf with Razor Leaf. "Now, use another Bite!" Turtwig moved right in and landed a hard-hitting Bite, knocking out Cherubi.
"You raised your Turtwig right, Sora. I would like to keep going," Gardenia said, calling back Cherubi. She took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Turtwig!" Her Pokéball opens and lets out her own Turtwig.
"She's got a Turtwig too," Cody said.
"Wonder how this'll go," Joe said.
"Okay then, let's test our skills in this mirror battle, Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf!" Sora ordered and his Turtwig used his move to hit Gardenia's Turtwig.
"Turtwig, dodge it!" Gardenia called out and her Turtwig avoided the Razor Leaf attack with an extraordinary speed. "Use Leech Seed!" Gardenia's Turtwig sends out Leech Seed and plants it right into Sora's Turtwig and starts to drain the stamina. "Leaf Storm!" Gardenia's Turtwig sends out a Leaf Storm and lands a hit on Sora's Turtwig who was taken down. Sora calls his Turtwig back in his Pokéball and pulls out Chimchar's Pokéball.
"Okay, Chimchar, it's your turn," Sora said as he called Chimchar to battle against Turtwig, when he faced the Tiny Leaf Pokémon he remembered when he was beaten by Sora's Turtwig and later abandoned him before being caught by Sora. "Chimchar! Power-Up Punch!" Chimchar readied his right fist and went right at Turtwig.
"Dodge it," Gardenia told her Turtwig and dodged Chimchar's attack again with great speed.
"Whoa! That's fast!" Davis said.
"I'll say. I never expected Turtwig to move at that speed at all," Leaf said.
"Leaf Storm!" Gardenia ordered. Gardenia's Turtwig sends out Leaf Storm to strike Chimchar, Sora knows that even if it is not very effective it is a very powerful move.
"Dodge!" Sora called as Chimchar nodded.
"Don't dodge it!" Chimchar heard Paul's voice in his head but he quickly shook his head and barely dodged the Leaf Storm. Gardenia was impressed by that close call.
"Leech Seed!" Gardenia ordered. Turtwig fires Leech Seed right at Chimchar but he easily dodged the attack and ignored Paul's previous orders too.
"Dig!" Sora ordered and Chimchar dug through the ground.
"Prepare to dodge!" Gardenia instructed and his Turtwig nodded before jumping right up in the air as Chimchar burst through the ground. Sora had Turtwig where he wanted it.
"Power-Up Punch and then Flame Wheel!" Sora ordered. Chimchar used Power-Up Punch which hit Turtwig and then followed by using Flame Wheel powered-up thanks to Power-Up Punch and hit Turtwig, causing super effective damage and fell right on the ground, beaten. Gardenia was very impressed by Sora's skills. She called back her Turtwig.
"Amazing display and with skills like that, you will definitely deserve the Forest Badge," Gardenia said. Sora was surprised to hear her mentioning him earning the Forest Badge.
"How would you know about that?" Sora asked, raising a brow. Gardenia laughed.
"Because you just defeated the Eterna Gym Leader; me," Gardenia revealed. The whole group was all wide-eyed when she admitted she was the Gym Leader.
"Wait, you're the Eterna Gym Leader?!" Sora exclaimed.
"Yes, I'm Gardenia the Gym Leader of the Eterna City Gym who specializes on Grass-type Pokémon and I have to say, Sora I'm proud of the way you raised a strong Turtwig. And if it was me I would give you your badge right now but I can't since you need to fight in the gym to earn it," Gardenia said. Sora smiled as he called back Chimchar and felt proud of him for winning it.
"Yeah and thanks for this experience; I'll train harder and win against you so I can have my second badge," Sora said.
"I'm already looking forward to it. I'll also be training hard for our Gym battle, so it won't be easy next time," Gardenia said. The challenge was officially made. Sora and Gardenia were going to have their next Gym battle when they meet in the Eterna City Gym. Joining them, Gardenia sat by the campfire and explained their current plan to the Eterna City Gym Leader.
"Enchanted Honey, really?" Gardenia asked.
"Really," Cheryl answered. "They say that the honey's located in the Amber Castle, which is somewhere in this forest," Cheryl said.
"Yeah, I remember hearing that, too," Gardenia said.
"Then it's true," Cheryl said.
"How come you're looking for the honey in the first place?" Gardenia asked.
"My grandfather was a great treasure hunter many years ago. But after all of his success, after all the wonderful treasures he managed to add to his collection, the only one he failed to find was the Enchanted Honey. So I swore I'd find it. I'm on a mission," Cheryl said.
"Hm, I'd love to help you," Gardenia said. "If we all work together, we'll find it for sure," Gardenia said. "Now first off, you know that the Enchanted Honey is made out of the nectar that Combee gather, right?"
"Right," Cheryl said.
"I come here to Eterna Forest a lot trying to capture Grass-type Pokémon. Well, there's a place where Pomeg plants grow, and there's a huge Combee Wall right there," Gardenia said.
"What do you mean Combee Wall?" Cheryl asked.
"What's a Combee wall?" Lucas asked.
"A Combee Wall is where Combee gather up all their nectar, but I never seen one as big as this one before. I'm sure it's worth us going and having a look. And maybe we can find a few clues," Gardenia said.
"That makes a lot of sense," Kari said.
"That Enchanted Honey might be near that Combee Wall," Joe said.
"We'll be going there first thing in the morning," Leaf said.
"Oh, I can't wait to see all those Pomeg flowers in full bloom," Cheryl said.
"Hey, I know Eterna Forest like the back of my hand, so I'll take you there," Gardenia said.
"I don't want to be a bother," Cheryl said.
"Hey, come one. Don't forget, I came out of nowhere and begged Sora to battle me and I really want to get to know Palmon right?" Gardenia asked. Cheryl smiled.
"Of course. It's like grandpa said. Witness a good Pokémon battle, and something good always happens," Cheryl said.
On the very next morning, the group continued through the Eterna Forest to search for the Enchanted Honey, by starting by searching for the Combee Wall Gardenia had mentioned. But then a carnivorous plant-like Pokémon comes on down. Pikachu's ears perks up when he heard something. Angel's ears did the same thing.
"Pika!" Pikachu warned as everyone all saw the Bug Catcher Pokémon right behind them.
"A Carnivine!" Gardenia said happily as she ran towards it. The Carnivine chomps her in the head. "That is one an effective Bite!"
"Gardenia!" Kairi gasped.
"Get off her! Gabite use Dragon Claw!" Davis said as he called Gabite who used Dragon Claw hitting the Bug Catcher Pokémon, forcing it to let go. Carnivine wasn't pleased by Gabite's interference, so it attacked with a Vine Whip attack. Gabite got smacked hard. "Gabite!"
"Pika!" Pikachu said. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go right in, Staravia!" Sora called out. Staravia comes flying out of the Pokéball and waits for Sora's instructions. "Use Wing Attack!" Staravia spread out his wings and landed a hit onto the Bug Catcher Pokémon. "Now use Peck!" Staravia pecks at the Bug Catcher Pokémon. Carnivine fires Seed Bomb right at Staravia and lands a hit onto the starling Pokémon. "Staravia! Aerial Ace!" Staravia dashed right at Carnivine and landed a hit onto Carnivine. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it at Carnivine. The Pokéball wobbles around and around very violently, knowing Carnivine might not stay in for long. Stars swirl around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Sora's Pokémon Box activates and it asks him if he wants to keep Carnivine with him. He chose to send Carnivine over to Professor Oak's lab.
"Looks like you have yourself a new Grass-type Pokémon under your belt. Too bad because I wanted to catch that Carnivine," Gardenia said.
"Sorry if I got in the way, Gardenia," Sora said.
"Don't worry about it. There's always next time," Gardenia said. "I could always go find myself a Sunkern or something."
"By the way, Kairi, was my new Carnivine a boy or girl?" Sora asked.
"That Carnivine was a boy," Kairi answered.
"Kairi, you can tell Carnivine is a male?" Cheryl asked.
"Yeah. Pokémon are like people. They have different personalities and mannerisms like people do. For example, there can be girl Pokémon that can be total tomboys like a human girl," Kairi explained.
"Wow, that's an amazing gift, Kairi," Cheryl said. Mothim then started to pick up something.
"Mothim?" Cheryl asked.
"He found Pomeg flowers, let's go!" Joe said and then they found the Pomeg flowers and their faces all beamed.
"Yes, Pomeg flowers, we must be getting close," TK said as a Nuzleaf landed right in front of them. The Nuzleaf is holding something in its hand. "A Nuzleaf."
"I know this Nuzleaf. It's a messenger Nuzleaf," Gardenia said, accepting the scroll from Nuzleaf. She read the contents on it. "Sorry, but there's an emergency, and I'll have to leave right now."
"Alright. Good luck and thank you once again for your amazing help in our search," Cheryl said.
"And good luck with your search in finding the Enchanted Honey, wherever it is. And I'll be seeing you in my Gym for our battle, Sora," Gardenia said.
"I'm counting on it," Sora said.
"Bye." Gardenia said before she and Nuzleaf took off back to Eterna City. Mothim got excited as a a small, flying, insectoid Pokémon came flying into Kairi's arms. Its body consists of three orange, hexagonal sections that resemble honeycomb cells, arranged with two hexagons on top and the remaining hexagon between and below them. Each hexagon has a round, yellow face with two black, oval eyes and a black, curved mouth. In the middle of their foreheads, the upper two faces each have a single whisker-thin, black antenna with black, oval tips approximately the size of their eyes. They also each have a translucent, rounded-triangle-shaped wing connected to an orange, domed joint on their sides. The backsides of the upper faces are yellow and rounded, as the sides of a sphere. The bottom face is the main thinker of the three, and it is also the only one to have a full, insectoid abdomen. This abdomen is yellow near the tip with a thick, black stripe close to its hexagonal frame. There is a red, wedge-shaped spots on the foreheads of its lower faces, just below the point where all three faces meet
"A Combee," Cheryl said. "We must be getting close to the Enchanted Honey for sure." Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokémon.
Combee, the Tiny Bee Pokémon
Type: Bug/Flying
The members of the trio spend all their time together. Each one has a slightly different taste in nectar. It ceaselessly gathers nectar from sunrise to sundown, all for the sake of Vespiquen and the swarm.
"If we just bumped into a Combee, then the Amber Castle is very close to us," Sora said.
"We should get going," Tai suggested. The Combee flew out of Kairi's arms.
"What's the matter?" Kairi asked.
"Combee, Combee, Combee, Combee!" The Combee said in a warning.
"I wonder what Combee feels?" Xion wondered.
"Or even understand what it is telling us?" Roxas added.
"Well, there's only one way to find it out." Sora said.
Then the group went towards where the Combee is guiding the group but unaware for every, the same person who was going after Sora and Kairi was watching from afar.
"Soon I will destroy you both, because I remember your faces clearly, and I won't let your insignificant love still exist…!" The same girl from before said who then revealed as Rose, wearing an Organization XIII black cloak. Her eyes now match that of Master Xehanort, and also her sorrow and sadness was replaced by pure rage and thirst for revenge.
Just then, a bunch of wasp-like Heartless appeared all around them. Each one of them are green with red stripes. The Heartless emblem is embedded on their abdomens, and they had red wings and yellow stingers. Their Heartless eyes are compound like a real wasp, These Heartless shall be known as the Green Jackets.
"Heartless!" Everyone except for Cheryl gasped.
"Heartless?" Cheryl asked. The Green Jackets started to come down at the group.
"Here they come!" Ethan said.
"Let's swat these flies!" Elaine suggested.
"Right," the rest of the Keyblade wielders summoned their Keyblades and held them to fight them off. The Green Jackets flew at the group land a sting on the Keyblade wielders, but they smacked at the Green Jackets as they came.
"Guys, do not casts any fire magic! We don't wanna cause a forest fire!" Sora said.
"Got it!" Kris said.
"Then, let's cool 'em off!" Lyra said, castsing a blizzard spell. The ice spell struck as Marill fired Bubble Beam, hitting one. They batted the Green Jacketsas they came at them, ready to sting them until the last of the Green Jackets were swatted.
"I'm gonna guess Combee was picking up on Heartless," Sora said as he dismissed his Keyblade.
"That explains why she was so scared," Kairi said.
"If there are Heartless in the Amber Castle, then we must drive them out," Ash said.
"You're right. Let's go," Sora said.
Meanwhile, a Combee Wall hovers around as the Green Jackets attacked, but the Combee Wall blew the Green Jackets away with a Gust, but more kept on coming. They continued to protect the hive. Inside the hive is a bee-like Pokémon with a typical insect-like, three-part body, i.e. divided into an abdomen, thorax, and head. It has a yellow- and black-striped abdomen, which flares out from a thin, waist-like protrusion under its thorax in a manner that resembles an elegant ballgown. Underneath the expansive abdomen are seven orange, honeycomb-like cells; the centermost cell, however, surrounds what appears to be a slender, yellow, more insect-like abdomen, which is often obscured by the 'gown' part of its abdomen. It has black arms that each consist of two thin, conical segments. Each arm ends in two small, orange claws. It flies with a pair of relatively small wings, each of which consists of two stacked, translucent teardrop segments. Its arms and wings attach to its round thorax, which is yellow on the front, black on the back, and orange on each side where its arms attach. A curved line on its back, between its orange shoulders, separates its thorax and waist. Its head consists of its face and horns. Its orange face has intimidating red eyes; yellow mandibles that protrude from its face and connect to its horns; and a large, red gem on its forehead. Its horns are yellow near its face and black at the tips, and with the gem, they resemble historical headpieces or crowns worn by European royal and noble women in the Late Middle Ages, such as the escoffion. This Pokémon is Vespiquen.
And we will end it here for right now, so be sure to stick around if you wanna find out what happens next.