Episode 419: Cynthia the Sinnoh Champion
A day after leaving Eterna City, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, the DigiDestined, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, Maple, Piplup, and Little Mei arrived to a Pokémon Center as they spotted Takato, Henry, Rika, Ryo, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Suzie, Takuya, Koji, JP, Zoe, Tommy, Koichi, Guil, Mime Jr, and Munchlax are watching an event on TV.
"Takato, Takuya," Sora said. The two DigiDestined teams turned to see their friends.
"Hey, you guys. It's been a while," Takato said.
"Char," Guil said.
"We had a feeling we would see you here," Tai said.
"We thought the same thing," Ryo said.
"We see a couple of new faces with you," Jeri said.
"Yeah, who are these two?" Kenta asked.
"Our newest friends from right here in Sinnoh," Ash said.
"My name's Lucas. Nice to meet you," Lucas introduced.
"And my name's Dawn, and this Piplup, my partner," Dawn introduced.
"Piplup!" Piplup said.
"Nice to meet you. My name's Takato Matsuki and this is Guil," Takato introduced.
"Char," Guil said.
"I'm Henry Wong, and this is my little sister, Suzie," Henry introduced.
"Hi," Suzie greeted with a smile.
"I'm Rika Nonaka."
"My name's Ryo Akiyama."
"My name's Jeri Katou."
"I'm Kazu Shioda."
"I'm Kenta Kitagawa."
"My name's Takuya Kanabara."
"I'm Koji Minamoto."
"My name's JP Shibiyama."
"My name's Zoe Orimoto."
"I'm Tommy Himi."
"And I'm Koichi Kimura."
"Munchlax," Munchlax said.
"Mime, Mime!" Mime Jr said.
"So, are you Keyblade wielders, too?" Tommy asked.
"Uh," Lucas and Dawn paused.
"It's okay, you two. They know," Sora assured.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Anyway, Lucas and Dawn are learning from Master Rei along with us," Sora said.
"Where are Riku, Naminé, and Michael?" Henry asked.
"Michael went on his own for a bit, so we didn't run into him since we split up for a while. And Master Rei sent Riku and Naminé on a mission," Sora said.
"What kind of mission?" JP asked.
"I don't know. She didn't tell us," Sora said.
"So, what brings you here?" May asked.
"Well, we were just passing by when we caught this event on TV. Just have a look," Ryo said. The group looked at the TV and saw a Pokémon battle is taking place on TV. It is between Lucian and a woman. She a tall, and slender young lady with wavy knee-length creamy blonde hair that has bangs covering her left eye. Her eyes are grey. She wore straight black leg trousers, a long black coat with a V neck and black fur rimming the cuffs and running down the end of the coat and a large teardrop shaped ornament on the center of the coat; she also dons a black top underneath. Her outfit is finished with black kitten heels and a yellow stripe on each shoes. For accessories she wore a large, black feathery ruff around her neck with two hair clips in her hair, both resembling two teardrop-shaped object conjoined with a pale yellow stripe.
And the Pokémon she has is a bipedal, draconian Pokémon that is primarily dark blue in color. It has red on its underbelly from the lower jaw to the middle of the abdomen, including the undersides of its arms. A patch of gold comes to a point below the red on its belly, and a golden star shape adorns the tip of its snout. The Pokémon has horn-like appendages that resemble a jet or plane's engines, giving it an appearance similar to a hammerhead shark. Its large mouth features razor-sharp teeth. The feet have three white talons, and each arm has a single large, white claw for a hand. Curved fins sprout from the arms, creating wings It also has a large dorsal fin and another on its tail that resembles a shark tailfin. Pairs of small, white spikes protrude from its upper arms and legs, and there are gill-like slits on the sides of the neck. The eyes are intense, with black sclerae and gold-colored irises.
"Is that who I think it is?" Yolei asked.
"It is! It's Cynthia, the Sinnoh region's Champion!" Lucas said.
"She's Champion?" Kazu asked.
"He just said it," Rika said to Kazu.
"What do you know about her?" Zoe asked.
"That she's the strongest Trainer in all of Sinnoh. She took on the Sinnoh Pokémon League, so that earned her a spot to Champion League. And she made it with her ace Pokémon, Garchomp. I heard she raised that Garchomp when it first hatched from egg as a Gible and the two have been battling together since," Lucas said.
"Alright, battle fans! It's time! The bout we've all been waiting for is finally here! Will Cynthia, the Champion League Master, win it? Or will it be Lucian of the Elite Four?" The announcer asked.
Out on the battlefield, Cynthia has her Garchomp out to battle against Lucian's Bronzong. Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned Cynthia's Pokémon.
Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon
The evolved form of Gabite
Type: Dragon/Ground
It is said that when one runs at high speed, its wings create blades of wind that can fell nearby trees. When it folds up its body and extends its wings, it looks like a jet plane. It flies at sonic speed.
"So, that's Gible's fully evolved form," Sora said.
Bronzong fires Flash Cannon, but Garchomp folds its claws in front, resulting in an explosion.
"And Flash Cannon scores a direct hit! Complete with tons of mucho-mondo-mega power! Is it all over for Garchomp?" The announcer asked. Cynthia was very calm. The smoke clears, and Garchomp is unphazed by Bronzong's attack. "No way! Garchomp is still standing! Not even a scratch is on it!" Lucian was stunned.
"Wow, that is awesome! Garchomp didn't even get scratched!" Roxas said.
"Wow right," Henry said.
Garchomp moves in with a powerful Dragon Rush and lands a hit, earning a knockout right away.
"And Garchomp has taken down Bronzong with a devastating Dragon Rush! Outstanding!" The announcer announced.
"No wonder she's a champion. She's so awesome," Chase said.
"No kidding, Chase," Sora said. He wondered how good she really is. Also, there would be a chance Cynthia might test his skills out in battle one of these days.
"Hey, guys!" A boy's voice shouted, getting everyone's attention. "The Champion just showed up at Amity Square!"
"There's no mistake. Cynthia arrived here this morning and she's heading to the ruins not too far from here," a girl said.
"Cynthia's here?" Ventus asked.
"This we gotta see," Sora said. Sora approached the boy. "Excuse me, but where was seen?"
"Cynthia arrived here this morning and she's heading to the ruins not too far from here," the boy said.
"Thanks," Sora said as he, Kairi, and their friends started to head for the ruins.
Not too far, Cynthia made a stop at an ice cream van.
"Something I can help you with, ma'am?" The vendor asked. Cynthia seems indecisive when choosing what kind of ice cream to get.
"Which one do I want?" Cynthia asked herself. The vendor decided to recommend a flavor to her.
"May I suggest that you try the sea salt ice cream? It's a very popular treat from the Kanto and Johto regions. And it was made from the finest Moomoo Milk that money can buy," the vendor said.
"Sea salt? Then, I'll have one of those then," Cynthia said, paying for her ice cream. She took off for the ruins and had a taste of the ice cream. It was both salty and sweet, much to her liking.
Arrving out to the ruins, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Lucas, Dawn, Wes, Rui, the DigiDestined, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, Maple, Piplup, Little Mei, Guil, Mime Jr, and Munchlax all arrived at the same time as the many people there.
"There she is. It's Cynthia," Sora T said.
"Just like those kids said," JP said.
"Don't look now, but it's him," Roxas told Tommy and Suzy.
"Who is that?" Tommy asked.
"His name is Paul. He was Chimchar's last Trainer before he released him because he lost to Sora's Turtwig," Brendan explained.
"Also he is ruthless, arrogant, cruel and enjoys crushing every Trainer who is friendly with their Pokémon, but more obsessed with defeating Sora," Ethan added, referring to Paul.
"It means trouble," Koichi said.
"And more for us," Koji added.
"Wonder why he's here," Jeri said.
"One way to see," Ryo said while the arrogant trainer walked up to the Champion of Sinnoh.
"You're Cynthia, aren't you?" Paul asked. Cynthia turned to him with a smile.
"Yes," Cynthia answered.
"My name's Paul and I'm from Veilstone City. I'd like to challenge you to a battle," Paul boldly said.
"Who is this guy?" boy asked.
"He can't challenge the Champion like that!" A girl said. Cynthia was surprised to see that soeone had just approached her and she was impressed by his boldness.
"Its been a while since I took a field challenge. Are you competing in the Sinnoh Pokémon League now?" Cynthia asked.
"That's right," Paul said.
"I see," Cynthia said, taking her place to battle. "Then I'm assuming that you transferred here from another Pokémon League." Paul did not answer. "Fine then. I accept your challenge." The people were stunned to see Cynthia has accepted the challenge so easily.
"The Champion's gonna battle him!" Another girl exclaimed in shock.
"Unbelieveable!" Another boy said.
"Do you mind if we battled with six Pokémon each?" Paul asked.
"No problem," Cynthia said, accepting the terms. Cynthia took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Garchomp! Battle dance!" Garchomp comes on out to battle. Paul took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Magmar! Stand by for battle!" Paul called out, letting Magmar out to battle Garchomp.
"I could bet he caught that Magmar to replace Chimchar...!" Cody bitterly said.
"And I hope he will lose being at a disadvantage," Davis said.
"You're right, Davis. Paul knows that, but he has the attack to use against it," Sora said.
"Fire Spin!" Paul ordered. Magmar sent a spiral flame which hit Garchomp, and despite how it didn't cause any damage the fire vortex has Garchomp trapped and continuously taking damage to her.
"Flame Spin is known for causing damage gradually during the battle," Izzy explained.
"Use Dig!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp dug into the earth.
"Garchomp will come out at any moment," Paul said. Magmar looked around for Garchomp. Garchomp came out so quick and landed a single blow onto Magmar. Paul calls back Magmar and takes out another Pokéball and threw it. "Weavile! Stand by for battle!" His Weavile came out to battle against Garchomp.
"That's a smart move. Weavile's an Ice-type Pokémon," Lyra said.
"Rill," Marill chirped.
"An Ice-type Pokémon like Weavile against Garchomp is a good match. Yes, a wise choice indeed," Cynthia said.
"Blizzard!" Paul ordered. Weavile fires Blizzard right at the Mach Pokémon, but just like before, Blizzard does nothing.
"How is she just handling it?" Kairi asked.
"Easy, since Cynthia is the Champion, Garchomp has more experience, Garchomp can even withstand super effective moves," Izzy said.
"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp heads right towards Weavile with Dragon Rush.
"Why is Weavile just standing there?" Lucas asked.
"Dragon Rush is a Dragon-type attack that can cause an opponent to flinch," Matt said.
"Ice Beam!" Paul ordered. Weavile fires Ice Beam, but Garchomp dodges and lands a brutal blow onto Weavile, earning another one hit knockout while Garchomp receives damage from the Fire Spin. He calls Weavile back. He took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Murkrow! Stand by for battle!" His Murkrow comes out to battle Garchomp. "Murkrow! Use Haze!" Murkrow fires Haze right at Garchomp.
"Dodge it!" Cynthia called out. Garchomp avoids Haze by jumping out of the way. Murkrow flies right behind Garchomp.
"That's fast!" Sora T said.
"Sky Attack now!" Paul called out. Murkrow came flying towards Garchomp to land a hit onto Garchomp.
"Quick, Giga Impact!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp comes towards Murkrow's Sky Attack with both attacks colliding and causing a smoke explosion, Garchomp came with scrapes while Murkrow has been taken down by the powerful attack while Garchomp receives another hit from Fire Spin. Paul grins as he had her now. He took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Torterra! Stand by for battle!" Paul called out. His Pokéball opened and his Torterra came out to battle. Sora took out his Rotom Phone and scanned Paul's Torterra.
Torterra, the Continent Pokémon
The evolved form of Grotle
Type: Grass/Ground
Torterra roams the land in search of clean water to drink. Occasionally, smaller Pokémon can be seen making their homes on Torterra's back.
"So, that must be Grotle's evolved form," Lucas said.
"I figured he was going to use Torterra in this battle," Ash said.
"You knew Paul had a Torterra, Ash?" Sora asked.
"Yes, I did. He used it in a battle against my Charizard and he lost. He must have something planned," Ash said.
"Paul already lost three of his Pokémon while Cynthia still has all six of hers. That Garchomp is hardly even scratched," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"I'm picking up on what he's grinning about," Dawn said.
"Earthquake!" Paul ordered. Torterra slammed the front paws causing a huge tremor hitting Garchomp. "Now Giga Drain!" The three mountains on Torterra's shell glow green, and matching energy beams extend from their tips. The beams wrap around Garchomp's body, drain her energy while receiving damage from the Fire Spin again.
"A perfect hit," Ash said.
"Why didn't Garchomp just dodge it?" Lucas asked.
"Because Giga Impact works the same way as Hyper Beam. When Giga Impact is used, the attacker can't attack again right away," Henry said.
"So, he figured when using Earthquake and Giga Drain at the right moment, apart from causing a lot of damage with Earthquake, he could sap Garchomp's power for just long enough, until Giga Impact could be fully charged up and be able to use it again," JP added.
"Giga Impact is a powerful move all right. But it's also one of Garchomp's weak points as well," Paul said. The three mountains recede back into Torterra's shell when the attack is complete. Garchomp was in pain from Giga Impact. "Now use Frenzy Plant!" Torterra's body becomes outlined in green and it slams its front two legs into the ground. Giant roots with spikes on them come out of the ground and strike Garchomp. He was certain Garchomp had been taken down for sure. Garchomp was still standing and blocked with her wings. He was shocked to see that it had failed to land a hit. Cynthia grinned.
"Use Brick Break!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp rushes over to Torterra and slams her arms onto Torterra's head. Paul's Torterra had been taken down by the super powerful attack. Paul knew he lost the battle and he called Torterra back into its Pokéball and at the same the Fire Spin's effect disappeared from Garchomp.
"I guess that's it," Paul said.
"Guess so," Cynthia agreed. "Nice, Garchomp. Great battle." Garchomp smiled as she called Garchomp back inside her Pokéball.
Sora went up to Paul whom finally notices him.
"Good work, Paul," Sora said.
"I don't need praise from you," Paul snapped at him. He took off in the opposite direction of the Pokémon Center.
"Hey! The Pokémon Center is the other way!" Sora called out to him. Cynthia stopped him in his tracks.
"Paul, hold it right there!" Cynthia called out. He stops. "Bringing injured Pokémon to a Pokémon Center is a Trainer's first responsibility, you know!" Paul just stood there and he reluctantly agreed.
They all arrvied in the Pokémon Center, but something has come up.
"I'm terribly sorry. We've got an urgent situation here now. I've got to get into surgery right away," Nurse Joy said, bowing her head. "Please forgive me." She takes off for the surgery.
"Then, there's no choice. I'll have to treat them myself," Cynthia proclaimed. Paul just looked at her. She just had a battle with him and she was treating them herself.
"You?" Sora asked.
"You don't mind if I help, do you?" Kairi offered. She stepped up to the Sinnoh Champion. "I do some good work with other Pokémon as well as my own."
"I can help as well. I come from a family of doctors," Joe said.
"I welcome all the help I can get," Cynthia said. A few minutes came as Cynthia was treating each one of them. She placed her hand onto Torterra's tree. "You got quite a fever." She sprays some potion onto Torterra's tree.
"Brick Break landed a hit onto Torterra's head, didn't it?" Roxas asked.
"True. But it can spread all over the body. So we treat everywhere. Not only the part that was hit," Cynthia said.
"I agree. Without proper treatment, the fever can get worse and worse," Joe said.
"You're such a great Trainer. It was no wonder you're a champion, Cynthia," Sora said.
"Well, I'll have to say the same to you, Sora," Cynthia said. Sora wasn't surprised by how she knew his name.
"You knew about him?" Tai asked.
"I first saw Sora during the Indigo Plateau Pokémon League and won it. The same can be said for the Johto and Hoenn Pokémon Leagues. I was mighty impressed by your battling skills and the way you raised your Pokémon. I could tell there was loads of trust with them," Cynthia said.
"Well, a lot of people pretty much knows who I am just by watching those," Sora said. "And thanks for the compliment."
"Do you know about Kairi too, Cynthia?" Xion asked.
"I do. I was amazed by her performances. You have quite a gift, Kairi," Cynthia said. She got finished treating Paul's Pokémon. "I'm done treating your Pokémon."
"Thanks a lot, Cynthia," Paul said.
"Paul, your Pokémon are very well trained. And I'm especially impressed with your Torterra. It's really quite amazing," Cynthia said.
"Torterra was my very first Pokémon," Paul stated. "We traveled a lot. We made our way through Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto Pokémon Leagues, but didn't win any of them," Paul said.
"And that was when we bumped into you," Sora said.
"So what?" Paul asked.
"So, I got a first taste of how little you cared about your Pokémon and you lost," Sora said.
"You won because you got lucky," Paul said.
"Was it because I was lucky that I beat you, Paul?" Ash asked. He looked right at him. "I can bet you caught some Pokémon and just released them just because they didn't meet your standards. Talking abut lazy."
"You're calling me lazy?" Paul asked.
"I'm going to guess those battles against me and Sora didn't teach you a thing. Tell me why you don't care about your Pokémon at least," Ash said.
"Because then, they'll get spoiled. The Chimchar I had was the perfect example of what I mean," Paul said.
"You then let Chimchar go all because he lost to Sora again. You gotta work better with your Pokémon. Sora gets it. Cynthia gets it. And I get it. That's how we're good trainers. I care about my Pokémon enough to work with them," Ash stated.
"Pathetic," Paul coldly said.
"Then how come you lost to me?" Ash asked. "If anyone here here is pathetic is you. And how you're pathetic is how you're so ignortant in taking care of Pokémon."
"Don't you ever call me patheitc!" Paul snapped.
"And what are you going to do if I keep going?" Ash asked, daring him to try something. "Battle me again and get humilaited publicity like you were today?" He was about to give a shiner to Paul, but Chase stopped him.
"Cool it, Ash! He isn't worth it," Chase said.
"Chu," Volt said.
"I can tell you want to get stronger, right?" Cynthia asked. They all looked at her. "There's something I want you to see."
"What are we doing here exactly?" Leaf asked.
"The words that are written here completely changed my life," Cynthia said. "Listen while I read them. 'When Every life meets another life, something will be born'."
"When every life meets another life," Sora repeated to himself.
"And something will be born?" Kairi added.
"When I was younger, I used to dream of nothing but other than becoming powerful through being victorious in battle, and so I trained endlessly," Cynthia said. "Then, I discovered that even the same types of Pokémon have unique personalities. It was at that moment I decided I wanted to get to know each and everyone of them better. And hem after meeting more and more Pokémon, learning more of their ways, something completely new began to stir deep with in my soul. I knew meeting new Pokémon was just like meeting new people." She turned to the group. "I'm sure because of our meeting today something powerful has been placed in each one of us. Something important. Something that will mae us stronger in our own ways. My desire to learn about Pokémon has spawned a dream. That someday I'll actually meet the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia. Then, perhaps I'll be able to travel back to the source and find the timeless origin of all Pokémon."
"Dialga and Palkia," Sora said. Sora wondered if there was more to Pokémon than he originally knew. Sora did put what Cynthia has read, because he wondered if it was like him and Riku since Sora has power over light as Riku has power over darkness. "I think I get what you mean, Cynthia."
"Sora, I hope it's forward of me, but I would like to request that I have a battle against you," Cynthia said.
"Against me?" Sora asked, shocked. The whole group was shocked, especially Paul.
"You see, I have so much about your strength, and I wish to see it for myself," Cynthia said.
"Okay, Cynthia. I can take you up on your chellenge," Sora said.
"It will be six of mine against six of yours," Cynthia said.
"Okay. I can take you up on it. You don't mind if I make some changes on my team, do you?" Sora asked, taking out his Pokémon Box.
"Not at all," Cynthia said. Sora exchanged Cranidos, Shieldon, Gible, Buizel, and Stunky for Charizard, Gyarados, Gallade, Ursaluna, and Melmetal.
Once the selections were finished, Sora and Cynthia got into positions. It was drawing in such a crowd. Some of the Trainers recognized him.
"Paul didn't even bother in telling them to dodge their moves, luckily I'll be a bit more careful and I'll use the Pokémon who have more experience in battle," Sora said in his thoughts.
"Garchomp! Battle Dance!" Cynthia said as she called Garchomp who came on out to battle. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Gyarados!" Sora called and the red Gyarados released a terrifying roar which slightly startled Garchomp.
"A red Gyarados!?" Paul said in his thoughts while seeing from afar.
"Why Garchomp was startled for a moment?" Dawn asked.
"It was because Gyarados's ability called Intimidate. It's an ability that decreases the attack of the opponent," Izzy explained.
"However, Cynthia's Garchomp has more experience in battle than his Gyarados," Henry added.
"A red Gyarados, that's an interesting choice, Sora. And impressive looking Pokémon. You may make the first move." Cynthia said.
"Gyarados! Ice Fang!" Sora ordered and Gyarados went towards Garchomp.
"Dodge and use Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp avoids Ice Fang before using Dragon Rush.
"Use Ice Fang again!" Sora ordered and Gyarados used came at Ice Fang with both clashing moves and hitting at each other, however Gyarados received more damage than Garchomp despite using Intimidate and was flinched too before Sora called him back.
"Why Sora called back Gyarados?" Suzie asked.
"Dragon Rush sometimes makes the Pokémon flinch," Ryo said.
"Therefore Sora is doing a great strategy," Takuya said. Sora took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Your turn, Ursaluna!" Sora called out. Ursaluna came out to battle. Many of the Trainers were shocked to see an Ursaluna with their own eyes.
"An Ursaluna!" Paul said as he took out his Rotom Phone to scan Sora's Pokémon.
Ursaluna, the Peat Pokémon
The evolved form of Ursaring
Type: Normal/Ground
Ursaluna's evolution is believed to have been triggered by Ursaring being exposed to the swampy terrain of the Hisui region during a full moon.
"So, Ursaring can evolve," Paul said, gaining that information.
"It's my first time seeing an Ursaluna in front of my eyes." Cynthia said.
"Ursaluna! Use Slash!" Sora ordered and Ursaluna dashed to slash Garchomp.
"Dig!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp avoids Slash by digging into the ground.
"Use Earthquake!" Sora ordered and Ursaluna roared as he slammed his front paws causing an earthquake which hit and expelled Garchomp out from the ground. "Now Play Rough!" Ursaluna dashed before pummeling Garchomp causing super effective damage.
"Sora did two direct hits!" Zoe said.
"But Garchomp is still standing," Rika said.
"Mighty impressive, Sora. You raised your Ursaluna very well," Cynthia said.
"Thanks. Ursaluna! High Horsepower!" Sora ordered. Ursaluna charges right at Garchomp.
"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp used Dragon Rush, both moves clashed at each other with both colliding but Ursaluna received more damage. "Use Brick Break!" Garchomp used Brick Break, dealing pretty heavy damage and earning a knockout.
"Sora's Ursaluna did two direct hits!" Kazu said.
"But Cynthia's Garchomp managed to take down Ursaluna with just two hits!" Kenta said while Sora called back Ursaluna and took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Gallade!" Sora called out. His Gallade emerged from inside to battle.
"A Gallade, huh? I trust you had this one for a while, yes?" Cynthia asked.
"I caught him when he was a Ralts in the Hoenn region," Sora answered.
"I see you raised him very well," Cynthia said.
"Thanks. Gallade! Psycho Cut!" Sora ordered and Gallade swung his arms to send psychic energy blades.
"Dodge it and use Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp dodged before using Dragon Rush.
"Hold her with Psychic!" Sora instructed and Gallade used Psychic to stop Garchomp. "Now use Sacred Sword!" Gallade's right arm glowed with light blue energy before slashing Garchomp causing a lot of damage to her.
"Impressive, Sora. Garchomp, use Giga Impact!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp used Giga Impact.
"Use Sacred Sword again!" Sora ordered and Gallade used Sacred Sword with both moves colliding until causing a smoke explosion, and when the smoke cleared out, Gallade was knocked out while Garchomp was still standing.
"Now two Pokémon were taken down," Takato said.
"I wonder how he will go through this?" Tommy asked while Sora called Gallade back and took out his next Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Charizard!" Sora said as he called out. Charizard emerged from inside.
"A Charizard," Lucas said.
"How awesome. Just like Ash's Charizard," Dawn said.
"That Charizard was caught by Sora when he was Charmander after being abandoned by Damian, luckily he managed to beat him in a battle. That was when Charmander evolved into a Charmeleon," Kairi explained.
"And what happened to Damian after he lost?" Dawn asked.
"Believe me, you don't want to know," Kairi replied, knowing that Damian transformed into a Heartless due his obstinacy and obsession with revenge.
Now in the battle, Sora takes the chance that Garchomp cannot move after using Giga Impact.
"Charizard! Use Dragon Claw!" Sora ordered and Charizard used Dragon Claw which slashed Garchomp twice causing super effective damage and then Charizard released a blue, dragon-shaped aura covering his body and slammed into Garchomp with full force.
"That was Dragon Rush," Rui said.
"Meaning that Sora's Charizard learned a new move," Brendan said.
"Also Garchomp is close to collapse," Roxas said as he saw Garchomp panting.
"Very impressive that your Charizard learned a new move," Cynthia said. "But now it's my turn to attack. Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Garchomp then used her own Dragon Rush.
"Charizard, use Dragon Rush again and combine with Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Knowing that Garchomp's Dragon Rush is still stronger, he ordered his Charizard to use Dragon Rush and combined with Flamethrower forming a flaming dragon-shaped aura before flying towards Garchomp.
Both Pokémon collided their moves until causing a smoke explosion, when the smoke cleared out, Charizard had a few scrapes in his body while Garchomp was barely standing before collapsing to the ground, earning a knockout for Sora's favor. The four DigiDestined teams and Keyblade wielders were amazed seeing Sora being able to beat a Pokémon of the Champion while Paul was shocked.
"Impossible...!" Paul said in his thoughts.
Even the local Trainers were awestruck by what they saw.
"Did you see that?" A random boy asked.
"Yeah, Sora Ketchum managed to beat Cynthia's Garchomp," another boy said.
"Excellent," Cynthia said, calling back her Garchomp. "You earned yourself a rest, Garchomp." She took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Togekiss! Battle dance!" The Pokéball opens and her Togekiss came on out.
"Cynthia has a Togekiss, too." Xion said.
"That one is stronger than mine," Kairi added.
"Vee," Angel said in agreement.
"Use Wing Attack!" Sora ordered and Charizard used Wing Attack, knowing that Dragon Rush won't damage Togekiss due to it being a Fairy-type Pokémon.
"Dodge it and use Air Slash!" Cynthia ordered as Togekiss dodged easily before using Air Slash.
"Block with Flamethrower and then attack with Slash!" Sora ordered. Charizard uses Flamethrower to block Air Slash and hit Togekiss with Slash but enough to bring her down. "Now Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it and Sky Attack!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss dodged Flamethrower while using Sky Attack which came faster than Charizard didn't have the time to dodge and was hit before falling to the ground and beaten, Sora called Charizard back. He took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Melmetal!" Sora called out, letting out Melmetal. Cynthia was impressed by another amazing Pokémon.
"A Melmetal. A mythical Pokémon. And a strong one by the looks of it," Cynthia said.
"Flash Cannon!" Sora ordered and Melmetal fired Flash Cannon but Togekiss dodged the attack.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss' head glowed with blue energy before flying towards Melmetal.
"Use Double Iron Bash!" Sora ordered and Melmetal spun its arms before managing to hit Togekiss two times before she could strike with Zen Headbutt. "Now Flash Cannon!" Melmetal fired Flash Cannon which hits Togekiss, three super effective hits in a row.
"I see you raised your Melmetal too," Cynthia said.
"Thanks again," Sora said before ordering, "Melmetal! Use Thunder Punch!"
"Dodge and use Aura Sphere!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss dodged Melmetal's Thunder Punch before attacking with Aura Sphere which hit and knocked out Melmetal. Sora calls back his Melmetal and looked at his partner.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.
"Your turn, buddy," Sora said. Pikachu entered the battle.
"Togekiss! Use Zen Headbutt!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss dashed towards Pikachu by using Zen Headbutt.
"Use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, but Togekiss dodged easily before hitting Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon flinched from the hit.
"Why didn't Pikachu move?" Dawn asked.
"It was because of an ability called Serene Grace. It increases the chances of the secondary effects in some Pokémon moves," Rui explained.
"Use Zen Headbutt again!" Cynthia said and Togekiss used Zen Headbutt which hit Pikachu, but then Static started to work and paralyzed Togekiss.
"Now Togekiss is paralyzed," Lucas said.
"It was because of Static's ability," JP said.
"It works when the opposing Pokémon make contact moves," Izzy added.
"It was pure luck..." Paul said in his thoughts, referring to Static.
"Can you continue, Togekiss?" Cynthia asked her Pokémon who responded with a nod, willing to continue despite the paralysis. "Use Sky Attack!" Togekiss prepared to attack.
"Togekiss won't move faster than before, but the attacks are still strong," Sora said before seeing Pikachu who managed to recover himself from the flinching while Togekiss dashed towards the Mouse Pokémon. "Pikachu! Dodge with Quick Attack and then attack with Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu used Quick Attack and managed to dodge the Sky Attack before attacking with Thunderbolt which hits Togekiss.
"And now use Electro Ball!" Sora ordered and Pikachu used Electro Ball which hit Togekiss and knocked her out too, being the second Pokémon of the Champion being taken down.
"Sora 2 managed to beat other Pokémon!" Davis said.
"However, Cynthia has four Pokémon," Koji said while Cynthia called back Togekiss.
"Time out, Pikachu," Sora called out. Pikachu came back to his Trainer.
"It's my first time seeing someone reaching this far in a long time," Cynthia said before calling her next Pokémon. "Milotic! Battle dance!" Her own Milotic came out from the Pokéball.
"Gyarados! Back to action!" Sora said as he called back the red Gyarados who used Intimidate as he came out and slightly startled Milotic. "Gyarados! Dragon Pulse!" Gyarados fires Dragon Pulse.
"Dodge it!" Cynthia ordered and Milotic dodged.
"Use Ice Fang and then Flamethrower!" Sora ordered and his Gyarados uses Ice Fang first which leaves and icy bite Milotic strongly. Gyarados then fired a Flamethrower, hitting Milotic on the mark. Even though it wasn't very effective, Cynthia can tell how strong Gyarados's attacks are.
"Use Disarming Voice!" Cynthia ordered as Milotic used Disarming Voice which hits Gyarados. "Now Aqua Tail!" Milotic used Aqua Tail which critically hit Gyarados and knocked him out, Sora then calls back his Gyarados.
"Back to the action, Pikachu!" Sora told him.
"Pika!" Pikachu said before entering back to the battle.
"Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu charges right at Milotic.
"Dodge and use Hydro Pump!" Cynthia ordered. Milotic avoids Pikachu's Quick Attack and fires Hydro Pump right at Pikachu.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dodged Hydro Pump before firing Thunderbolt right at Milotic and lands a hit onto her. Pikachu then starts to run towards Milotic and then becomes surrounded by electricity. "That's Volt Tackle!" Pikachu lands a hit onto Milotic and he gets hurt by a recoil hit.
"Pikachu didn't know that before," Roxas said.
"Pika!" Xipak added.
"That was Volt Tackle," Wes said.
"What's Volt Tackle?' Dawn asked.
"Volt Tackle is an Electric-type move that causes recoil damage upon charging into an opponent," Wes explained.
"Now use Iron Tail!" Sora ordered and Pikachu went towards Milotic.
"Use Aqua Tail!" Cynthia ordered and Milotic used Aqua Tail with both moves clashing until she overpowered Iron Tail and sent Pikachu upwards. "Now use Hydro Pump!" Milotic fired her Hydro Pump.
"Go through Milotic's Hydro Pump with Volt Tackle!" Sora instructed and Pikachu nodded before using Volt Tackle and went through the Hydro Pump and when Pikachu got closer. "Now Iron Tail!"
Pikachu used Iron Tail while using Volt Tackle and caused another smoke explosion, everyone braced themselves from the force of the explosion. When the smoke cleared out both Pikachu and Milotic were barely standing until Milotic collapsed to the ground, beaten, but then Pikachu felt exhausted too, clearly Sora lost the battle but unless he managed to beat half team of the Sinnoh Champion, the group and even the local Trainers were amazed and impressed while Paul was dumbfounded because Sora was able to beat three Pokémon of the Champion and he wasn't able to beat one. Sora went up to his partner.
"You did great, buddy," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said weakly. Cynthia calls back her beaten Milotic and smiles right at Sora.
"You're an excellent Trainer, Sora. It has been a while since someone has taken down at least half of my Pokémon Team. You raised your Pokémon well," Cynthia said.
"I may have lost, but I enjoyed our battle. And I am looking forward to battling you again for real someday," Sora said.
"So am I, Sora. You have such an impressive team of Pokémon. I am especially impressed by your Pikachu," Cynthia said.
"Pikachu was the first Pokémon that I have ever had. He's been with me since the beginning. Same for Kairi," Sora said. Kairi smiled and nodded.
"Now we see why Sora Ketchum is a Pokémon League Champion," a local boy said.
"Not a loser like Paul," another boy said.
"Sora Ketchum cares for his Pokémon, not Paul," A local girl said.
"Also he managed to beat half the team of the Champion, something that Paul wasn't able to do," Another local girl said.
Paul glared at Sora being praised by the Keyblade Wielders, four DigiDestined teams. He gave hi-fives to Takuya, JP, Kazu, and Kenta. He even patted the heads of Tommy and Cody, and turned before walking away.
"Friends, trust!? I don't need any of that! A true champion should only focus on having the strongest Pokémon and shouldn't count on the support of his friends! I'm not like my brother, therefore I won't change my methods, someday I will crush that fake Champion and his Pikachu mercilessly!" Paul said in his thoughts.
After the battle with Cynthia, he healed up his Pokémon by feeding them some healing Pokémon food Kairi had made, with the exception of Melmetal, remembering its strict diet of metal, but luckily, Sora sprayed some max potions on the metal materials before feeding them to the Hex Nut Pokémon.
"You guys were awesome today. All of you gave it your best shot and that's what's important," Sora said. Charizard, Melmetal, Gyarados, Ursaluna, and Gallade beamed from Sora's praise. "Sorry we have to cut this short, but it's time to send you back home." He called Charizard, Metal, Gyarados, Ursaluna, and Gallade back before he exchanged them for Cranidos, Shieldon, Gible, Carnivine, and Luxio.
A little later, the group got together to talk.
"Sora, I think we should split up for a bit," Roxas suggested.
"You mean again?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, we had a lot to think about, so we decided to make it a race to see who gets Hearthome City first," Lucas said.
"Lucas and Roxas thought it would be a fun idea if they have a race to see who gets to battle Fantina in Hearthome City," Leaf said.
"I think that's a great idea. No point of us having to get there at the same time and do another rock, paper, scissors game. But if it's going to be a race, let's make it a clean race. There's no trying to make the others lost on purpose, and there's no tripping each other and no fighting over who gets the first right," Sora said.
"Fine," Roxas and Lucas said.
"What if we all get there at the exact same time?" Roxas asked.
"I was getting to that. In the event we all get there all at once, we either do rock, paper, scissors to settle it, or we draw straws, but that will be discussed at another time. Now that the rules of the race has been discussed, do you two agree to the rules and conditions?" Sora asked.
"We do," Roxas and Lucas replied.
"Good," Sora said.
With that decided, the group all separated for the time being. Tai and Davis's DigiDestined team still went with Roxas, Xion, Xipak, and Celeste as the Tamers went with Ash and Leaf. Takuya's team went with Chase, Elaine, Volt, and Maple. The rest of the group went their own way with the exception of Wes and Rui.
"You sure you wanna come with us for a while?" Kairi asked.
"Thought it would we should stick around with you until we get there," Wes said.
"And this time, we wouldn't be your shadows," Rui said.
"You two are welcome to hang with us for a while. We can make it an adventure," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"What about you?" Sora asked.
"I'm just sticking around just so you wouldn't get any funny ideas; even if you did make the rules," Lucas said.
"He just wants to stick with you two a little longer," Dawn said.
"Piplup," Piplup said.
"I can accept that," Sora said. He chuckled. "Here we go."
So the race has begun, and the finish line is Hearthome City. Even though Lucas is still traveling with Sora for a little bit, but it should be worth it. And there could be something coming along very soon, and we may find out what it might be, so stick around.