Episode 463: Hungry For the Good Life!
We open up to Count Ernesh's Sinnoh home. Aaliyah Ventras stepped out of the corridor of darkness and she kneels before her master.
"Ah, Ventras. Good of you to come. What have you discovered?" Count Ernesh asked.
"Master, the source of the disturbance we have detected came from a glacier in a field of Gracidea flowers. It was caused by the legendary Pokémon Giratina crossing from the Reverse World and into the real world. A Shaymin was caught in the middle, and a man calling himself 'Zero' attempted to destroy the real world," Aaliyah Ventras reported.
"And were the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts involved?" Count Ernesh asked.
"Only some of them, Master. The rest of them are elsewhere," Aaliyah Ventras answered.
"And was Riku present?" Count Ernesh asked.
"No, Master. He was not," Aaliyah Ventras said.
"I see," Count Ernesh said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Shall I go deal with them, Master?" Aayliah Ventras asked.
"No, not yet. For now, allow them a time of peace. And when the time has passed, then we make strike again," Count Ernesh said.
"Yes," Master," Aaliyah Ventras said, bowing her head.
Several days have passed since saying goodbye to Shaymin and Newton, so Sora, Kairi, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, Michael, Yugi, Téa, Joey, Tristan, Mai, Serenity, Pikachu, Angel, and Piplup walked down the road for Hearthome City for Lucas to battle against Fantina and earn the Relic Badge. Along the way, they receive the news Zero was found guilty for all of his crimes and was sentenced for several life sentences in prison. Sora exchanged Drapion and his Gastrodon for Snover and Bronzor as Kairi exchanged Lumineon and her Gastrodon for Growlithe and Voltorb.
"I feel we're getting closer to win that Relic Badge, and I'm going to win that Relic Badge!" Lucas said.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lucas. You gotta beat Fantina in battle first," Wes said.
"He's right. You saw that battle just the same as the rest of us. Sora had to fight hard for his Relic Badge," Dawn reminded her crush.
"Yeah, I know. Just watching the other Gym battles just got me fired up and makes me wanna win it even more," Lucas said.
"That's the spirit, Lucas. Gotta think on the positive," Joey said.
"Just as long as we don't run into any of those Heartless," Duke said. A sound of thunder crashes, alerting
"I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather take a lightning storm over the Heartless any day of the week," Téa said.
"I'd go with a lifetime," Rui said.
"I guess that's it for nice weather for a while," Dawn said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
"I just hope it doesn't rain," Serenity said.
The bushes suddenly rustles and out came a Cleffa.
"Hey, it's a Cleffa," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Wow," Dawn said, taking out her Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon
Type: Fairy
It has the silhouette of a star in the night sky and some believe that Cleffa ride on shooting stars.
"It sounds sort of romantic if you ask me," Dawn commented.
"But what's a Cleffa doing out here? They usually live on mountains," Yugi pointed.
"Cleffa! Cleffa!" A young woman's voice called out. The young woman has dark green hair and green-blue eyes. She wore a brownish-red maid's outfit with white sleeves. She spotted Cleffa. "There you are! Don't go off so far away again." Cleffa jumped into her arms.
"Excuse us, miss, but does that Cleffa belong to you?" Kairi asked.
"Eevee?" Angel asked.
"Oh, no. This Cleffa actually belongs to the master of the house," the maid said.
"Master of what house?" Lucas asked.
"The master of that house, Mr. Backlot," the maid, gesturing to the mansion ahead of them. She bowed her head. "My name is Monica, Mr. Backlot's housekeeper."
"My name's Sora, and this is Pikachu," Sora introduced.
"I'm Kairi, and this is Angel," Kairi introduced.
"Eevee, vee," Angel said.
"My name's Lucas."
"My name's Dawn, and this is Piplup."
"Piplup," Piplup said.
"I'm Wes."
"My name's Rui."
"My name's Michael."
"I'm Yugi."
"I'm Joey Wheeler."
"I'm Téa."
"I'm Mai."
"My name's Tristan."
"My name's Serenity."
"I'm Duke."
"And I'm Bakura."
Lightning crashes and it begins to rain.
"And there's the rain!" Michael said.
"It's coming down in sheet," Dawn said.
"You're welcome to come down to the mansion. Right this way!" Monica said.
"Thanks," the group as they followed her. Unaware of Vanitas being in the shrubs.
They head for the mansion and they're greeted by an middle-aged man wearing a business suit.
"Well, well, well, well, well, well, well. It's truly a pleasure to welcome you all to my humble home! Please, relax and stay as long as you like!" Mr. Backlot said.
"Thanks a lot, sir," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"It'll give us a chance to kick back until the rain lifts up," Sora said.
"You have such a beautiful home, Mr. Backlot," Dawn said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
Monica comes in with a cart of poffins.
"Okay, I know you're all really hungry by now!" Monica called out as two Igglybuff appeared from upstairs. Three Pichu came from a corner as an Azurill hops down stairs on its tail. "Sorry it took so long. Now, go ahead and eat as much as you want."
"Cute, huh? I think so. They're my pride and joy," Mr. Backlot said.
"You mean these Pokémon are all yours?" Lucas asked.
"Correct. I've gathered quite a few Pokémon from here and there. They love to play in my Trophy Garden," Mr. Backlot said.
"A garden?" Dawn asked.
"That's where I ran into all of you when it started to rain," Monica said.
"Quite beautiful, isn't it? Wish you can have one?" Mr. Backlot joked as he laughed.
"Mr. Backlot has opened up his property to all kinds of Pokémon Trainers, watchers, and breeders alike. And when the weather is nice, they all play outside. Mr. Backlot is a very generous man," Monica said.
"I'll say he is. It's a good way for people and Pokémon to be close," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.
"Piplup," Piplup hungrily said. "Piplup, Piplup, Piplup, Piplup."
"Oh, you're hungry too, aren't you?" Dawn asked.
"I guess we can have our Pokémon chow down, too," Sora said as he let out Lucario, Staravia, Grotle, Monderno, Prinplup, Gabite, Rampardos, Bastiodon, Croagunk, Snover, and Bronzor. Kairi has let out Bibarel, Staraptor, Lopunny, Manaphy, Phione, Glameow, Tux, Vespiquen, Squirtle, Growlithe, and Voltorb. Lucas has let out his own Monferno along with his Gligar, Floatzel, Grotle, Elekid, and Magby as Dawn has let out her Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, and Togepi. Yugi let out his Alolan Raichu, Sirfetch'd, Aerodactyl, Gallade, and Magnezone as Téa has let out her Dragonair, Chansey, and Jigglypuff. Joey has let out his Charizard, Arcanine, Skarmory, Croconaw, Sandslash, and Yanmega. Tristan has let out his Electabuzz. Duke has let out his Ninjask and Shedinja. Bakura has let out his Raichu. Serenity has let out her Azumarill, Pikachu, and Marill, and Mai has let out her Nidoqueen, Nidorina, Altaria, Noctowl, Milotic, and Ninetales.
The Pokémon were fed some of the poffins, much to their delight.
"There's plenty for everyone, so no need to worry," Dawn said.
"Swinub!" A voice said. Dawn looked to where she heard the sound and saw a Swinub rush over to the poffins. The Pig Pokémon plowed through the other Pokémon and wolfed down the poffins.
"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed as the Pig Pokémon eats the poffins meant for Dawn's Pokémon.
"Monica, do something!" Mr. Backlot said.
"Right away!" Monica said, taking off.
"Man, that's one hungry, Swinub!" Lucas said.
"I'll say! He knows how to put it away!" Kairi said.
"Eevee!" Angel said.
"It's hard to tell where it goes with that small body," Wes said. Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, and Togepi were ready to give Swinub a deserved beating, but Angel stepped in.
"I know you're upset, but beating him up isn't going to solve anything!" - Angel subtitle. Monica came back with a big plate full of poffins.
"Here you go! This should make you happy," Monica said.
"Nub, nub!" Swinub happily exclaimed, starting to eat the poffins at a rapid pace.
"Your poffins are safe, so you can put those down now," Monica said.
"Is that Swinub yours, too?" Tristan asked.
"No, no. That Swinub is actually a wild Pokémon that lives in the forest near here. Lately, Swinub's have been vising more and more. My lovely garden's quite a draw for Swinub and the poffins don't hurt either," Mr. Backlot said. Swinub fell on its back, stuffed from eating all of the poffins, falling asleep. DAwn thought it was really cute.
"Nothing like a nap after a meal," Dawn said.
"Sorry about this. I'll have some fresh poffins for ready for you in no time," Monica said.
"Now, why don't all of you join us for a lovely dinner for this evening? You can sleep here tonight and then enjoy the garden tomorrow. A great idea, I must say," Mr. Backlot said as he laughed.
"That sounds great. We could use a rest after making it this far," Sora said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said. Sora turned to his other Pokémon.
"What do you guys say to a good night's rest?" Sora asked. The other Pokémon all agreed with the idea.
Meanwhile, Riku, Naminé, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Eevee, Azurill, Marill, Volt, and Maple are fighting some attacking Heartless which consists of Shadows, Soldiers, Large Bodies, Air Soldiers, Red Rhapsodies, Blue Nocturnes, Yellow Operas, Green Requiems, Silver Rocks, Emerald Blues, Crimson Jazzes, Lance Soldiers, Minutes Bombs, Creeper Plants, Tornado Steps, Loudmouths, Armored Knights, Watchers, Driller Moles, Cannon Guns, Bad Dogs, Morning Stars, Bookmasters, Powerwilds, and a new kind of Heartless.
This Heartless has a feminine humanoid body structure, and dresses in loose, flowing clothing. It has dark purple skin, circular, yellow eyes, thin arms, and large, four-fingered hands. Its face is almost entirely covered by a large headdress that is lavender with red-violet inner lining, a curled tip at its top, and a Heartless symbol on the section covering the creature's forehead. It also wears a navy blue tank top, baggy, purple and lavender pants, and a violet cloth around its waist, all of which have pale yellow lining. This Heartless also sports a pale yellow wristband on each of its wrists, a small ring of the same color on each of its index fingers, and violet and pale yellow high-heeled shoes. The Heartless always balances on a sparkling crystal ball. This Heartless is known as the Fortuneteller.
The Keyblade wielders and the Pokémon struck down the Heartless as they came from left to right. Volt fired a Thunderbolt, but the Yellow Operas and Green Requiems absorbed Volt's Thunderbolt into their bodies. Maple fired a Swift at the Yellow Operas and Green Requiems, destroying them as the Fortuneteller came at Elaine, but she struck it down as Riku unleashed a dark thunder, hitting some of the Heartless, taking them out. Marill fired Bubble Beam at several Shadows and Soldiers. A Morning Star spins toward Ethan before he casts a stone spell, hitting it and some Armored Knights. Kris casts her music spell, striking several Minute Bombs before Lyra slashed through Shadows, Soldiers, and Armored Knights. May grabbed a Watcher and she uses it to blast several surrounding Heartless before she struck it down. Naminé casts a magnet spell, pulling in several Powerwilds as Ash and Leaf each casts a thunder spell, hitting them. Eevee fired a Shadow Ball, hitting a Large Body in the head as Azurill fired a Bubble Beam, hitting a Crimson Jazz. Riku threw his Braveheart through the remaining Heartless, finishing them off. Takato, Takuya, and their DigiDestined teams stepped forward once it was safe enough.
"Man, those Heartless are just as annoying as ever," Takuya said.
"Well, we were going to run into them sooner or later," Riku said.
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"Riku's right. Count Ernesh's flunkies would have come along next if they didn't," Ash said.
"Yeah, but I'm surprised he hasn't come for us for a while. What is he waiting for?" Leaf asked.
"Probably to drop our guard, especially when Kanako is no longer siding with him. I never met the guy, but I know he isn't going stay quiet forever," Chase said.
"Chu," Volt said.
"Yeah, if the Master didn't leave to meet up with Ben again, we could ask her for some ideas," May said.
"Easier said than done, May. Ever since we left for Sinnoh, the Master's been on edge about something like she knows something," Lyra said.
"Marill, rill?" Marill asked.
"You noticed it, too? I thought I was the only one who caught on," Elaine said.
"Eevee," Maple said.
"It has to be really big if she's keeping a secret like this from us," Kris said.
"Or maybe it's something she's trying to protect us from," Leaf said.
"Protect us from what?" Naminé asked.
"I don't know, but it's something," Leaf said.
"It might be one of those questions we don't wanna know the answers to. If she is keeping it a secret from us, then all I can say it's for a really good reason," Ash said.
"You sure about that, Ash?" Ethan asked.
"I'm sure. I mean, you remember about learning about the fake Ansem's identity back at Radiant Garden, don't you, Ethan?" Ash asked.
"Please, don't remind me," Ethan said.
"Elaine and I weren't there with you when you traveled into Hoenn, but we're caught up enough to know it," Chase said.
"Pikachu," Volt said.
"But his apprentices are picking up where they left off before that Xehanort guy founded the Organization," Elaine said.
"Eevee," Maple said.
"Yea, and as long as they're not doing it again, then we should be okay, right?" May asked.
"I hope so, May," Ash said.
"I don't know what'll happen going forward, but we're gonna have to deal with whatever's coming our way, no matter if it's Count Ernesh or Darklight," Riku said.
"Vee," Angel said.
Back at Mr. Backlot's mansion, they're treated to a meal that was generously offered to them. Joey was wolfing it down as fast as he was given food.
"Everyone be careful. Joey's mouth is considered to be a black hole," Mai said.
"Monica's quite a wonderful chef,isn't she? I'm very lucky to have her on staff," Mr. Backlot said.
"Yeah, you sure are," Dawn agreed.
"She could open up her own restaurant if she wanted to," Lucas said.
"I would imagine you'd like to eat like this way every day, now wouldn't you?" Mr. Backlot asked.
"I know I would," Joey said.
"No argument here," Téa said.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Joey asked.
"Excuse me, Dawn, would you care for another cup of tea?" Monica offered.
"Thanks, I'd love one. I have a favor to ask you, Monica: May I use your kitchen later on?" Dawn requested.
"Of course, but what for?" Monica asked.
"What do you have in mind, Dawn?" Serenity asked.
"I think I know what," Lucas said.
A little while later, Kairi and Dawn are making poffins in the kitchen.
"I see, you're making poffins to give to your Pokémon," Monica said.
"Now that we have the right recipe, I can't make enough for Piplup and the whole gang," Dawn said.
"Pip, Piplup!" Piplup said.
"Hold on," Monica said, heading to a shelf. She grabbed a basket full of Pecha, Cheri, and Oran Berries. "These are some berries from our garden. I think you'll discover if you add a few of these into your poffin mixture, your Pokémon will thank you."
"That's so awesome! Thank you!" Dawn said.
"This was a great idea, Dawn. I know the Pokémon will love our next batch of poffins," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
A little while later, Kairi and Dawn fills Monic in some of their adventures, leaving out any details about the Keyblade and about the Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed.
"The Hearthome City Gym?" Monica asked.
"Yes. My boyfriend Sora already won the Relic Badge there, but we're heading there because Lucas hasn't earned it from Fantina yet, so we'll be there to support him. Sora's brother, my sister, and some of our other friends are already there after leaving Pastoria City, and we'll be meeting up with the rest of our friends in Canalave City," Kairi said.
"Sora, Lucas, and Roxas each won awesome battles against Crasher Wake in the Pastoria City Gym. Lucas and I admire both of Sora and Kairi's successes in the past, but I'd like to be Top Coordinator someday," Dawn said. Their Rotom Phones went off.
"Perfect timing. The poffin should be perfectly done. Time to pour them into the molds and let them cool," Kairi said. The finished poffin batter is poured into the molds. Once they cool down, they freshly made poffins are placed on a plate. "And here they are."
"Piplup, Piplup, Piplup, Piplup!" Piplup happily exclaimed.
"Look at that! Piplup sure looks happy," Monica said.
"They really love them, but they're still no match for Kairi's poffins," Dawn said.
"Oh, don't say that, Dawn. Yours are just as good," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said. Swinub sneaks from a corner and then heads for the poffins, intending to eat all of the poffins.
"No, not Swinub!" Kairi gasped.
"Vee!" Angel also gasped. Dawn takes the plate before Swinub could eat them all.
"Bad Swinub! Those poffins are supposed to be for the other Pokémon!" Dawn scolded.
"Swinub," Swinub sadly said.
"Remember, you just ate a bunch," Monica said.
"Swin," Swinub sadly said as he tries to reach for the poffins.
"Oh, come on!" Dawn said
"Don't worry, Dawn. I'm backing you up," Kairi said, taking out an extra plate of poffins. "Here, Swinub. Eat these if that's what you want." Not wasting any time, Swinub started to eat the poffins at a rapid pace.
"Thanks, Kairi," Dawn said.
"No problem. I was just ready for Swinub showing up again, so I thought I'd prepare some extra poffins to fill his tummy," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
"And I can always make some extra poffins for you, too, Angel," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Well, that means these poffins are safe and sound," Dawn said as she fed Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, and Togepi the poffins and ate them to their heart's content.
On the next day, Sora, Kairi, Lucas, and Dawn let out their Pokémon to play with Mr. Backlot's Pokémon in the garden. Mr. Backlot couldn't help smile at the sight of the Pokémon playing so lively.
"They're sure having a lot of fun, aren't they?" Rui asked.
"They sure are. It's real adorable," Téa said.
"You know, it's special moments like these when I almost wish I could be a Pokémon," Mr. Backlot said.
"Hello? It's snack time!" Dawn said, coming in with some freshly made poffins. Dawn's Pokémon were happy to being able to eat Dawn's poffins. "Here you go. Your favorite. Fresh as they can be, so dig right in and have all you want." Dawn's Pokémon go over to the poffins to eat them all.
"Don't forget to chew carefully before you swallow," Sora said. Swinub spotted the poffins and rushes to the poffins.
"Not again!" Tristan exclaimed.
"No need to worry, Tristan. I made extra," Dawn said, taking out an extra plate and placed it down. Swinub went for the extra plate and starts eating again. "Good thing I was able to read from Kairi's playbook."
"You're a much better chef than you think you are, Dawn," Kairi said.
"Vee," Angel said.
Suddenly, Sora, Kairi, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, Michael, Pikachu, and Angel felt something in the air.
"Not now," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"What's wrong?" Yugi asked.
"He's here," Sora said.
"Who's here?' Monica asked.
She got her answer when a corridor of darkness opened and Vanitas stepped out of the corridor of darkness, holding his Void Gear.
"Hiya, everybody. Did you miss me?" Vanitas asked.
"You again!" Tristan exclaimed in anger.
"Who invited you?!" Mai asked.
"I thought I'd just drop in as a surprise. We never got a chance to catch up with each other the last time we saw each other," Vanitas said.
"Nobody wants you here, so make like a drum and beat it!" Lucas said.
"Now, you've gone and hurt my feelings. Not as bad as I'm about to hurt you," Vanitas said, getting ready for a fight. Sora, Kairi, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, and Michael summoned their Keyblades, getting ready to fight Vanitas.
"This is your last chance, Vanitas. Get out of here or we'll make you leave," Sora said.
"It looks like you're gonna make me," Vanitas said.
"Sora," Monica said.
"Yugi, keep Mr. Backlot and Monica back!" Sora said.
"You can count on us," Yugi said.
"Take him down!" Joey said.
"Oh, you will try," Vanitas said as he came for the Keyblade wielders. He clashed his Void Gear against Wes's Colosseum of Light and Colosseum of Darkness as Rui came in with her Plus and Minus. Michael came swinging at him with his Gale of Elements, but Vanits dodged and then clashed his Keyblade against his and they lock before Vanitas overpowered him. Kairi casts a crystal blizzard spell at Vanitas, but he dodged and came down at her with his Void Gear Keyblade, but Sora saved her by clashing his Kingdom Key against his. Vanitas pushes Sora back with a poweful force as Lucas and Dawn rushes at Vanitas as they clash their Keyblades against the Void Gear, so Vanitas dodges and gave Lucas an uppercut. "Cute. Is that the best you can do? It's the same old tactics. Give me something new. Surprise me."
"Okay, you asked for it!" Sora said.
"You're gonna be sorry you did!" Kairi said.
Sora's transformation changes Sora's clothes into the color scheme of the outfit he wore during his first journey, but it has the addition of a red crown on his knees. This new form shall be known as the Limit Form.
Kairi's transformation changes Kairi's clothes into the color scheme of the clothes Kairi wore during her first journey, but it has the addition of a heart on the skirt. This new form shall be known as the Destiny Form.
Sora and Kairi each held a new Keyblade in their hands.
The guard of the the Keyblade Sora held is a recoloration of the classic Kingdom Key's guard; it is a deep, pastel blue color while the handle itself is a deep indigo. The shaft is light-blue and rounded, ending with an orb past the teeth, which are formed by a spike and a five-pointed star of the same color; this results in the Keyblade having a double-edged appearance. A gold rainguard is at the bottom of the bar. The Keychain is a five-pointed gold star and it is attached to the hilt of the Keyblade with a silver chain. This Keyblade shall be known as the Starlight.
The new Keyblade Kairi held is a pallete swap of her Destiny's Embrace. The Keyblade is round and curvaceous to the point of appearing harmless. The hilt is shaped like a heart, one side of the hilt is formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other is formed into a beige vine of sand that wraps around the shaft, which is colored to resemble a sunrise. The vine connects to a bouquet of blue and purple flowers, which form the teeth of the Keyblade and entwine to outline another heart. A blue silken keychain connects the hilt to a silver star token. This Keyblade shall be known as Romantic Embrace.
Yugi and his friends blinked twice at what they were seeing.
"Is it me or am I experiencing deja vu?" Joey asked.
"I don't think it is you, Joey. Their clothes changed into what they were wearing when we met them," Yugi said.
"Not only that, but new Keyblades, too," Téa said.
"I'll admit, that's surprising, but I'm still not impressed," Vanitas said.
"Too bad we're not trying to impress you," Sora said as he dashed on forward and Kairi does the same thing, hitting Vanitas with the Starlight and Romantic Embrace. Sora and Kairi clashed their Keyblades together and beams of energy shot out of their Keyblades and struck Vanitas on the mark.
"Hey, that's awesome!" Dawn said.
I'll say," Lucas said.
"No time to be impressed. We have a fight to win," Michael said.
"Right," Lucas and Dawn said as they went for Vanitas again. They clash their Keyblades against the Void Gear, so Vanitas overpowered them both before he sends out dark chains, tying up Sora, Kairi, Wes, Rui, and Michael. They tried to break free, and then, Sora and Kairi's clothes revert back to their current attire.
"Looks like our time's up," Sora said.
"I figured your magic clothes would run out of juice sooner or later. And I know it'll take you just a few days for you to get them charged back up again, but that isn't going to be happening too soon," Vanitas said, holding up his Keyblade, preparing to finish them off, but Swinub fired an Ice Shard, hitting Vanitas on his back. He lets out a loud scream from the cold and pain. He angrily turned to see the Pig Pokémon as he huffed his snout. "You little porker! I'm going to make bacon out of you for that!"
"No, you won't!" Dawn said as she casts a blizzard spell, hitting Vanitas on the mark. "Anyone who hurts a Pokémon on my watch is going to be one sorry dude!"
"Yeah, what she said," Lucas agreed. They held their Keyblades tight in their hands. Dawn turned to Swinub.
"Thanks for saving our friends, but we'll take it from here," Dawn said.
"Swin," Swinub said.
"You think you can take me on? Don't make me laugh," Vanitas said. He charges toward Lucas and Dawn, so they clash their Keyblades against his Void Gear. Working together, Lucas and Dawn managed to get the upper-hand against the masked Keyblade wielder, much to his surprise and frustration. The more times he tried to fight them off, the more of an edge Lucas and Dawn were gaining over him. Vanitas tried to strike down, Lucas, but Dawn saved him by giving him a kick on his leg. Vanitas yelped in pain, allowing Lucas to push him back, so Lucas gave him a blast with his Brilliant Diamond Dialga in the form of a blue beam of energy. The fight ended when the chains binding Sora, Kairi, Wes, Rui, and Michael vanished. They joined the Sinnoh duo, knowing he was down, but not out. "Not too shabby, you two." Vanitas stood on his feet. "Your skills have improved more so than I thought. Don't let it get to your heads. We will meet again." Vanitas dismissed his Keyblade before he summoned another corridor of darkness and walked backwards into it. It shuts, making Vanitas vanish into the shadows.
"He got away again," Michael said.
"No need to worry. We'll be ready for him next time," Dawn said.
"This is one of those moments that I don't worry the most when you say that," Kairi said.
"Swinub," Swinub said. Dawn dismissed her Shining Pearl Palkia and she bends down to the Pig Pokémon.
"Swinub, you're really brave. You saved my friends by using your Ice Shard against that awful Vanitas," Dawn said.
"Yeah, we would have been goners if you hadn't acted fast enough," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"So, how would like to be my Pokémon from now on?" Dawn asked. The group were surprised; all except for Lucas.
"Dawn, you sure?" Michael asked.
"I think she is. Ever since we met him, I knew he was going to be Dawn's Pokémon," Lucas said.
"What do you say, Swinub?" Dawn asked. Swinub looked up to Dawn as she took out a Pokéball and held it. Swinub quickly accepts it, so Dawn tapped Swinub with her Pokéball and the Pig Pokémon flowed inside it. The Pokéball wobbles around and around in her hand. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "And I have myself a Swinub!"
"Nice catch, Dawn," Rui said.
"I know you'll do great taking care of your new Swinub," Wes said.
"You sure?" Dawn asked.
"We all think so, Dawn. With your training, I know Swinub will make a great Contest Pokémon," Yugi said.
"Thanks," Dawn said.
After adding Swinub to Dawn's team, the group stood before Mr. Backlot and Monica, heading for Hearthome City.
"I just want to say, thank you so very much for defending my garden from that masked miscreant," Mr. Backlot said.
"You're welcome. We're just sorry you had to go through that," Sora apolgized.
"You owe me no apologizes, my boy. The danger has passed, and we're all safe," Mr. Backlot said.
"And since you're collecting Gym Badges, I thought I should tell you that the Gym Leader in Canalave City goes by Byron, and he specializes with Steel-type Pokémon," Monica said.
"Byron. Steel-type Pokémon. Got it," Sora said.
"And we wish you the best of luck in earning your Relic Badge, Lucas," Mr. Backlot said.
"Thanks. But I don't think I'm going to need it. I have my friends to back me up," Lucas said.
"Well, we better get going before Fantina takes off again," Michael said.
"Right. Thanks for letting crash here for the night. You've been an awesome host, Mr. Backlot," Lucas said.
"Think nothing of it," Mr. Backlot said.
With that said, the group took their leave of the mansion after saying their goodbyes, so they're getting closer to Hearthome City, so how will Lucas fare in his Gym battle against Fantina? Will he be able to earn the Relic Badge so he could be caught up with Sora? Just stick around if you wanna find out.