Episode 398: Sora vs Barry
I am going to break my silence about an issue I am currently having. Stop making requests make contact with me to connect with me on social media and what-not, because I am not going to comply with any bot hackers! Just cut it out and leave me be! If you wanna make some fanart of any OCs characters or some OC Heartless or my Keyblade designs, just ask for my permission! I have said what I needed to say about the matter.
As for Barry, I have decided to mix in both the games and the anime since Barry's team consists of Staravia, Herecross, Snorlax, and three Pokémon of a certain type depending on which starter you choose in the games. So, the Gym battle between Sora and Roark will commence after this. Until that one is up, enjoy.
Shortly after clearing out Team Galactic and saving Professor Rowan from being taken by them, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, Michael, Rei, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, Maple, and Piplup have left Jubilife City and headed off for Oreburgh City.
"Sounds like you had quite a day," Rei said.
"You could say that, Master," Ash said.
"Yeah, those Team Galactic guys really mean some serious business," Leaf said.
"Why does it feel like Team Aqua and Team Magma all over again?" May asked.
"Okay, how we forget about them for right now? It's not going to do us any good to think about them if we don't know what they wanted with Professor Rowan's research," Chase said.
"I strongly agree. It's no use obsessing over things we don't have control over. So for now, we must focus on the task already ahead of us," Rei said.
"Right," the rest of the group said.
"Well, I could go and find me a Psyduck to catch," Lucas said, making everyone look at him. "What?"
"How do you know there are Psyduck around here?" Brendan asked.
"Well, just when we were out for supplies, I overheard someone talking about wild Psyduck in a pond just west of Jubilife City. And Psyduck is a Water-type which I would definitely need to back up my Turtwig," Lucas said.
"That's a good plan, Lucas, but what about a third in case it's three-on-three?" Lyra asked.
"Marill?" Marill asked.
"Well, I have Chimchar since he knows Power-Up Punch since it's a Fighting-type move," Lucas said.
"That's using your head, Lucas," May said. Lucas smiled at the compliment.
"Well, Oreburgh City is only a couple of days away if we walk there by foot, so we should get a head start," Roxas said.
"You're right. Let's go," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
With that said, the group began to make their way to Oreburgh City for the first Gym challange in Sinnoh.
A little while later, they came across three Trainers along with three Pokémon they hadn't seen before.
One is a quadrupedal turtle Pokémon with light green skin and a large shell covering its back. The shell is composed of hardened soil and conforms to the shape of its body, extending from its forehead to the tip of its short tail. The shell appears sectioned and is yellow with three long, brown ridges atop it. Two bush-like trees are growing around the outermost ridges. Its lower jaw is yellow and has triangular extensions on the cheeks, while its upper jaw has a hooked tip. Its feet are yellow and have three claws each.
Another is a bipedal, primate-like Pokémon. Orange fur covers most of its body, except for its ears, muzzle, fingers, circular areas on its palms, feet, and chest, which are tan. A small tuft of fur extends from the top of its head, and it has oval, brown eyes. Its eyes have a thick blue marking above and a small, red marking in-between. Its muzzle is short and blunt, with two small, pointed teeth in its upper jaw. There is a white ruff of fur around its neck and gold bands around its arms near its shoulders. It has five fingers on each hand, but only three toes on each foot. Its long tail has a red ring around the base and a flame burning at the tip.
And the third one is a blue, penguin-like Pokémon. It is mostly dark blue with light blue facial markings, wing tips, and lower body. Its eyes are blue and it has a short yellow beak with a small point above it. Two large, yellow ridges extend from its beak over the back of its head and meet just above the nape of its neck. On its body are four large, white spots that resemble buttons. Instead of arms, it has long, sturdy, flipper-like wings that are capable of knocking over and snapping trees. It has short legs with yellow, three-toed feet.
"Look at that, a Grotle, a Monferno, and a Prinplup," Dawn said.
"Could they be...?" Chase asked.
"They are. The evolved forms of Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar," Rui said. Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the turtle-like Pokémon first.
Grotle, the Grove Pokémon
The evolved form of Turtwig
Type: Grass
Grotle makes its home in the forest. Each Grotle is said to have its own secret place to drink some clean springwater.
"And as for this one," Sora said, scanning the monkey-like Pokémon.
Monferno, the Playful Pokémon
The evolved form of Chimchar
Type: Fire/Fighting
Monferno skillfully controls the intensity of the flame on its tail in order to keep its foes at an ideal distance.
"And this one," Sora said, scanning the penguin-like Pokémon.
Prinplup, the Penguin Pokémon
The evolved form of Piplup
Type: Water
Prinplup lives a solitary life. Its wings deliver wicked blows that can snap even the thickest of trees in half with a single blow.
"So that's what Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup can evolve into. Sweet," Sora said, putting his Rotom Phone away. They saw the group looking at them.
"Hey, you watching long?" One of the Trainers asked.
"Didn't mean to spy on you. Just passing by," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Anyway, those are cool Pokémon you got there," Sora said.
"Thank you. My Turtwig just evolved this morning," the first Trainer said.
"The same for my Monferno," the second Trainer said.
"My Prinplup evolved three days ago," the third Trainer said.
"Are you three in Pokémon Contests or Gym battles?" Kairi asked.
"We're gunning for Gym battles, and we're heading for Eterna City since we already earned a Gym Badge from Oreburgh City," the second Trainer said.
"What about you?" The third Trainer asked.
"A couple of us are taking part of the Pokémon Contests here in Sinnoh, while a few of us are taking part of the Gym challenge," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Anyway, I heard there might be some Psyduck around here, so have you seen any?" Lucas asked.
"Well, there should be a small pond just nearby. Psyduck are known to hang out there. We're wishing you the best luck in finding some," the first Trainer said.
"Thanks," Lucas said.
They made it to the pond they were told about. And they saw some Psyduck and some Wooper and Quagsire. There were also some Barboach and Whishcash as well.
"And here they all are. Some Psyduck, but also some Wooper, Barboach, along with their evolved forms," Rei said.
"Okay, Lucas, you should go and make your pick," Ash said.
"Right. Which one do I wanna catch?" Lucas asked. He looked around, seeing if he could find the strongest Pysduck. One Psyduck fired a Chilling Water on a Quagsire when it tried to take its food. Seeing he found a promising Psyduck, he took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Turtwig! Go!" His Pok233ball opened and Turtwig and came out. Psyduck attacked with a Chilling Water. "Dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Turtwig fired Razor Leaf and lands a hit on Psyduck. Psyduck came at Turtwig with a Scratch. Psyduck successfully lands a hit onto Turtwig. "Bite!" Turtwig lands a bite. Lucas took out a Pokéball and threw it. The Duck Pokémon flowed inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Lucas went to his Pokéball and picked it up. "Yes! I got myself a Psyduck. More than a perfect since Psyduck's a Water-type Pokémon."
"Nice catch, Lucas," Dawn said.
"Thanks, Dawn," Lucas said, blushing. Lucas now has what he needed, so they continued on their way. "Anyway, let's keep going. I mean, no point in hanging around any longer."
"Yeah," Dawn said, also blushing. She found Lucas's blush to be very cute.
"Something tells me that Dane has eyes on Lucas," Lyra whispered to May, making her laugh.
"Hey, I can hear you! And it's Dawn, not Dane!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Marill," Marill said.
Just before they could go futher, they heard a voice not too far away from them.
"Okay, just a dab of honey and I'll get me a Heracross," a voice said.
"Barry?" Lucas and Dawn asked. They quietly walked to a nearby shrubbery and they saw Barry lather some honey on the three and he went into hiding. He waited and waited until a male Heracross and started to slurp up the honey. Barry took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Starly, let's go!" Barry called. His Starly came out to battle against Heracross. "Use Quick Attack!" Starly flew at the Single Horn Pokémon and lands a hit onto Heracross. "Wing Attack!" Starly lands a hit with its wings, so Heracross comes at Starly with a Horn Attack. "Quick Attack!" Starly dashed at Heracross with another Quick Attack, dealing some additional damage. When he saw Heracross was weakened enough, he took out a Pokéball and threw it. Heracross flowed inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "Yes! I got myself a Heracross! How awesome is that?!" He was about to take off when he saw the group of Trainers, yet only two of them are familiar to him. "Huh? Lucas? Dawn?"
"Hey, Barry," Lucas greeted.
"Dawn, when did you get a Pokémon?" Barry asked.
"About a little while after you and Lucas did," Dawn said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
He saw Piplup with her and he does a comical point.
"Hey, you picked a Piplup as your partner! Are you copying me! That's a 200 million fine for copying me!" Barry said.
"Trust me, I didn't copy you. I would believe you were copying me if I went to pick my Pokémon with Lucas instead of you," Dawn said. Everyone all laughed.
"Very funny," Barry said. He then looked at Sora and he gasped in excitement. "Hey, you're Sora Ketchum, the Pokémon League Champion of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn! You also came in first at the Pokémon Stadium Cup I have been waiting a long, long, long, long time to meet you, but I get to meet you a lot sooner than I thought! I don't know if I should ask for your autograph or shake your hand! Ah, who cares?! I just so happy to meet you!" Barry happily exclaimed, getting overly excited.
"Looks like your reputation caught up with you again," Wes said.
"I take it that your name's Barry, is it?" Sora asked.
"Y-Y-Yeah! I wanna say, it's a huge honor and privilege to meet you!" Barry said.
"I'm actually flattered you know about me, Barry. And I have to say, you handled your Starly like a pro," Sora said.
"Thank you for your nice words, Mr. Ketchum!" Barry said.
"Don't call me 'mister'. Just call me Sora. Mister is what you call an adult," Sora said.
"Okay, Sora. I'll do that," Barry said.
"Something tells me Barry will be fawning over the ground he walks on like he was a king," May said.
"Well, that something is right," Brendan said.
"Anyway, Barry, you should meet our other friends. They all came from Orre, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn; I think," Lucas said, unsure about Riku.
"I came from Alola. And my name's Riku," Riku introduced.
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"My name's Kairi and this is Angel," Kairi introduced.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"I'm Roxas, and this is Xipak," Roxas introduced.
"My name's Xion, and this is Celeste," Xion introduced.
"Eevee," Celeste said.
"My name's Naminé."
"Azurill."
"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.
"I'm Ethan."
"My name's Kris."
"I'm Lyra."
"I'm Brendan."
"My name's May."
"I'm Wes."
"My name's Rui."
"I'm Michael."
"And Rei Sakura."
"And we're all friends of Sora as Lucas said," Ash said.
"Ash, Ethan, Brendan, and Chase battled Sora in each one of those tournaments and came close to beating him," Elaine said.
"Eevee," Maple said.
"Okay, whatever you say," Barry said.
"How do you guys know Barry?" May asked.
"Dawn and I knew Barry since we were little kids. We met in kindergarten. Believe it or not, Barry was this way, too. He used to tell the other kids he would fine them whenever someone would either take his finger paint or his his crayons," Lucas explained. He chuckled. "But that actually got him sent to timeout from time to time."
"Sora, are you competing in the Sinnoh Pokémon League, too?" Barry asked.
"Yeah. We're actually heading to Oreburgh City to challenge the Gym Leader there," Sora said.
"Cool! So am I! But I would like to have a battle against you if it's okay! I mean, if that's okay with you!" Barry said.
"Fine with me, Barry," Sora said. Barry getting thrilled, getting the chance to battle against Sora. "We could use the practice."
"Awesome! I was thinking we could make it a three-on-three battle," Barry said.
"Sure thing," Sora said.
Both Sora and Barry got into position to have their battle. Barry took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, the first one I'm picking is my Ponyta!" Barry called out. Barry's Pokéball opened and out his Ponyta came with a whinny. Lucas took out his Rotom Phone and scanned it.
Ponyta, the Fire Horse Pokémon
Type: Fire
Its hooves are ten times harder than diamond. It can trample anything completely flat in little time.
"Okay, then I'm choosing..." Sora said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Starly!" His Pokéball opened and Starly emerged from inside. "You can have the first move, Barry."
"Thanks! Ponyta! Flame Charge!" Barry ordered. Ponyta ran toward Starly with a Flame Charge.
"Acrobatics!" Sora ordered. Starly flew upwards and then came down with his legs out, dealing some heavy damage. "Use Quick Attack!" Starly lands a Quick Attack on the Fire Horse Pokémon.
"Ponyta! Use Overheat!" Barry ordered. Ponyta fired A stream of fire at the Starling Pokémon.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Starly flew too fast for Ponyta's Overheat.
"Overheat again!" Barry ordered. Ponyta fired another Overheat, but it was weaker than the first one.
"Dodge and use Wing Attack!" Sora ordered. Starly dodged Ponyta's second Overheat and lands a hit with Wing Attack.
"Didn't Ponyta's Overheat look a little weaker than earlier?" Dawn asked.
"Barry shouldn't have rely too much on Overheat," Kairi said.
"Why's that?" Dawn asked.
"Overheat is always the strongest when used for the first time. Each time Overheat s used, it gets weaker," Kairi explained.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"I see what you mean," Dawn said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
"Ponyta! Use Tackle!" Barry ordered. Ponyta charges at Starly with Tackle.
"You use Tackle, too!" Sora ordered. Starly flew at Ponyta and lands a hot on each other. They both skid backwards as Starly began to evolve.
"Starly's evolving!" The group all said. Starly has now become a Staravia.
"Wow, Staravia. Okay, Staravia! Use Aerial Ace!" Sora ordered. Staravia flew right at Poyta and lands a heavy hit.
"Use Tackle again!" Barry ordered.
"Double Team!" Sora ordered. Staravia made several copies of himself. Ponyta ran into one, but missed. "Acrobatics!" Staravia and the duplicates ganged up on the FIre Horse Pokémon and lands a hit onto it, resulting in a knockout. Barry was shocked, seeing his Ponyta had lost. He called his Ponyta back and he took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"You're going in now, Tyrogue!" Barry called out. His Tyrogue came out to battle. Sora called back Staravia and took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Riolu! Go!" Sora called out. Riolu came out, ready to go.
"Tyrogue?" Lucas asked, taking out his Rotom Phone again.
Tyrogue, the Scuffle Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Tyrogue is well-known for its eagerness to fight. It's always bursting into battle and makes itself stronger by continuing to fight larger opponents even when it loses.
"So he has a Tyrogue. I wonder which one he would want his Tyrogue to evolve into, and that'll be tricky," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"How do you know that, Kairi?" Lucas asked.
"I know because I raised one while Sora had two. Sora's two Tyrogue became a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, while mine evolved into a Hitmontop. Tyrogue's evolution depends on how high his certain stats are," Kairi said.
"Certain stats?" Dawn asked.
"You know Eevee has a branched evolution, don't you?" Ash asked.
"Yeah," Dawn said.
"The same can be said for Tyrogue. Tyrogue becomes a Hitmonlee when his attack is higher than his defense," Ash said.
"Tyrogue becomes a Hitmonchan when his attack is lower than his defense," Leaf added.
"And Tyrogue becomes a Hitmontop when his attack and defense are the same," Kairi said.
"Okay, Tyrogue! Use Focus Energy, and then Tackle!" Barry called out. Tyrogue builds up focus and charges right at Riolu with a Tackle.
"Use Bullet Punch!" Sora ordered. Riolu dashed at Tyrogue with a Bullet Punch, landing a hit. "Use Vacuum Wave!" Riolu sends out a Vacuum Wave at Tyrogue and lands a successful hit.
"High Jump Kick!" Barry ordered. Tyrogue jumped and lands a heavy kick onto Riolu, dealing some heavy damage.
"That was an awesome hit," Dawn said.
"Yeah, but High Jump Kick is a risky move to use because if Tyrogue missed, he would had a nasty crash," Lyra said.
"Marill," Marill said.
"High Jump Kick again!" Barry ordered.
"Double Team!" Sora ordered. Riolu made several copies of himself like Staravia did.
"Not again!" Barry exclaimed in shock. Tyrogue lands a kick on a copy, but took some heavy damage from the failed attack.
"Force Palm!" Sora ordered. Riolu came at Tyrogue and used his Force Palm and shot out a burst of energy, sending Tyrogue backwards. "Now, use Bullet Punch!" Riolu lands a Bullet Punch at Tyrogue, landing a hit. Tyrogue was knocked out. Barry called back his Tyrogue.
"No way! Sora is so much stronger than I thought! This is so cool! I can see why he won those tournaments and came out on top! Okay, time for my partner!" Barry said, taking out his next Pokéball and threw it. "Piplup! You're going in last!" Piplup emerged from inside, ready to battle. Sora called back Riolu and looked at Pikachu.
"Okay, Pikachu, go for it," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said. Pikachu stepped in.
"Piplup! Use Water Gun!" Barry ordered. Piplup fired Water Gun right at the Mouse Pokémon.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodged Piplup's attack and fired Thunderbolt at the Penguin Pokémon, landing a hit.
"Use Pound!" Barry ordered.
"Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dashed at Piplup and lands a hit onto Piplup. "Electro Ball!" Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it at the Penguin Pokémon and deals some heavy damage.
"Piplup! Use Peck!" Barry ordered. Piplup came at Pikachu with a Peck.
"Dodge it!" Sora called out. Pikachu tried to dodge, but Piplup came too fast for Pikachu to dodge and lands a hit.
"Wow, Pikachu's not only strong, but fast, too!" Barry exclaimed.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt, shocking Piplup on the spot, resulting in a knockout. "Great job, Pikachu." Barry called his Piplup back.
"Man, I lost," Barry said. He smiled widely. "How awesome!"
"Hey, Barry, that was a great battle. You're quite a Trainer," Sora said.
"Thanks. Normally, I would have been mad that I lost, but I'm not! I'm not too bummed about losing to you! I aim to be the strongest Trainer in the world! Just as strong as you!" Barry said.
"Try being strong as you, Barry," Sora said. Barry gave Sora a puzzled look.
"Say what?" Barry asked.
"Look, Barry, I'm flattered you look up to me, but you should't try to be like me, you should try doing it in your own style. Every Pokémon Trainer has their own way of battling, and you already have your own way of doing things. That way, the bond you share with your Pokémon will grow stronger and stronger with each passing day," Sora said.
"That was well-spoken, Sora," Rei said, approaching to Sora. "It's important to build up a bond with the Pokémon because they'll trust and connect with you better." She turned to Lucas and Dawn. "That is a very important lesson to learn."
"Right," Lucas and Dawn said in unison.
Later, Sora gave some potions to Barry's Pokémon to help them heal from their injuries. Barry was thinking about what Sora and Rei said to him and he seemed to take it to heart.
"Thanks for that battle, and I hope we can see each other again," Barry said.
"Likewise, Barry," Sora said. Sora and Barry shook hands as they went their separate ways.
They made a stop just so they would train for each of their Gym battles. Sora trained his Turtwig, Piplup, and Riolu as Roxas is training his Treecko, Mudkip, Chikorita, and Totodile as Lucas was training his Chimchar, Turtwig, and Psyduck. They all had to be on top of their game if they're to earn their first Gym battles.
Kairi was doing her own training. She wanted to be ready for her next Contest, so she had her Pokémon out to prepare for any contests. She decided not to worry about which Pokémon to use until she hears about the Contest. During the training, Kricketot has started to evolve.
"Kricketot, you're evolving," Kairi said with awe. She saw that her Kricketot has become a bipedal Pokémon with an insectoid appearance. Primarily red, there are three black, oval markings on its abdomen, a tan streak running down its neck to its belly, and a tan underside with a small, dark red marking above it. It has oval, gray eyes, and a dark red, round nose. Black feelers with curled tips extend from either side of his nose, similar in appearance to a mustache. On top of its head are two antennae with conical bases, spherical centers, and long, thin tips. It has two small feet and a pair of black wings. "You're a Kricketune, aren't you?" Kairi took out her Rotom Phone and scanned the newly evolved Pokémon.
Kricketune, the Cricket Pokémon
The evolved form of Kricketot
Type: Bug
It crosses its knifelike arms in front of its chest when it cries. It can compose melodies ad lib.
"Quite a musical Pokémon, you are, Kricketune. Since you evolved, let's give your new attack a try. Fury Cutter!" Kairi ordered as she threw a stick up in the air. Kricketune jumped and cuts the stick in half. "Nicely done."
"Kricketune," Kricketune said.
Oreburgh City is getting closer and closer, so how will Sora and Lucas fare in their Gym battles against the Gym Leader and his Rock-type Pokémon? Just find out if you want to see for yourself.