Episode 432: Smells Like Teen Spritomb
After their recent encounter with Vanitas, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, and Angel continued to walk down to Veilstone City when they're approached by two young women. One has long red hair, going down her back. She wore a blue shirt, blue jeans, and sandals. The other is a blonde wearing a one-piece dress with the skirt going down to her knees.
"Looks like we found a couple of Trainers to battle," the blonde said
"Yeah, sure did," the redhead said, taking out a Pokéball. "Would you two like to have a battle with us?"
"What do you think, Kairi? You up for it?" Sora asked.
"Yeah. It's been a while since I was in a tag battle with you, Sora," Kairi said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"How is it going to go down?" Sora asked.
"Simple. Each of us uses one Pokémon each, and whichever team renders the other to being unable to battle, wins," the redhead said.
"So, let's get to picking," the blonde said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Roselia! I choose you!" The redhead threw her Pokéball.
"Go! Beautifly!" The rehead called out. Both Roselia and Beautifly emerged from inside to battle. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Gible! Go!" Sora called out. His Pokéball opened and Gible came on out to battle. Kairi took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Combusken!" Kairi called out. Her Pokéball opened and her Combusken emerged from inside. "You can make the first move."
"Thanks. Roselia! Use Razor Leaf!" The blonde ordered.
"Beautifly! Silver Wind!" The redhead ordered.
The two opposing Pokémon launched their attacks right at their opponents.
"Gible! Dodge and use Dragon Breath on Beautifly!" Sora ordered.
"Dodge and use Flamethrower on Roselia!" Kairi ordered. Gible and Combucken dodged their attacks. Gible fired a Dragon Breath right at Beautifly as Combusken fired a Flamethrower right at Roselia.
"Dodge!" The two women called out. The two opposing Pokémon dodged their attacks.
"Roselia! Magical Leaf on Gible!" The blonde ordered. Roselia fired a Magical Leaf right at Gible, landing a hit.
"Use Shadow Ball! on Combusken!" The redhead ordered. Beautifly forms a Shadow Ball and fired it right at Combusken.
"Use Slash!" Kairi ordered. Combusken slashed through the Butterfly Pokémon's Shadow Ball. "Use Peck!" Combusken lands a peck onto Beautifly, landing a hit.
"Use Magical Leaf on Combusken!" The blonde ordered. Roselia fired a Magical Leaf right at the Young Fowl Pokémon.
"Gible! Use Dragon Breath to block that Magical Leaf!" Sora ordered. Just when Roselia fired Magical Leaf right at Combusken, Gible fired his Dragon Breath to block Roselia's Magical Leaf. Gible kept on firing Dragon Breath and he began to evolve, much to Sora and Kairi's surprise and awe. Gible has become a Gabite and his attack overpowered Roselia's Magical Leaf and struck the Thorn Pokémon on the mark.
"No way!" The two women gasped.
"Gible. You're a Gabite now," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Let's wrap this up, Sora," Kairi suggested.
"Right," Sora agreed as he nodded. "Okay, Gabite! Use Dragon Breath again!" Gabite prepared to use Dragon Breath, but it came out as Dragon Pulse instead, so it lands a hit onto Roselia, resulting in a knockout.
"No! My Roselia!" The blonde cried.
"Beautifly! Use Shadow Ball!" The readhead ordered.
"Use Flamethrower!" Kairi ordered. Combusken fired a Flamethrower right at Beautifly, dealing some heavy damage and resulted in a knockout. "We won."
"Nice finish with Combusken's Flamethrower," Sora said.
"Thanks. Gible evolving into a Gabite is what really did it for us, Sora," Kairi said.
"Well, that was amazing," Redhead said, calling back her Beautifly.
"Yeah, you both raised your Pokémon well," the blonde said, calling back her Roselia.
"Thanks. Your Roselia and Beautifly are pretty tough, too," Kairi said.
"Yeah, they sure gave my Gabite a run for his money," Sora said.
"Thank you. That's very nice of you," the rehead said.
"And here's a flower for each of you," the blonde said, giving the couple each a flower.
"That's very nice of you," Kairi said.
"Yeah, thanks a lot," Sora said. He and Kairi shook their hands before they took off. A little later, Sora and Kairi spotted a couple of eggs in the water just close to them. One of the eggs looked very familiar to the couple "Hey, look at that. Two Pokémon eggs."
"Sora, I think one of them is a Manaphy egg, but I'm not sure about the other one," Kairi said.
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can figure it out later. I think it'll be a good idea you held on to them until they hatch," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.
"I guess you're right. But don't you think I can give you one?" Kairi asked.
"It's fine, Kairi. Besides, I think they might take a better shine to you over me anyway. Remember with your first egg?" Sora asked. Of course, Kairi does remember retrieving her Togepi's egg. She remembered all the times she held Togepi in her arms all through the rest of Kanto, and all through Johto, and with Colonel Hansen tried to usurp the Mirage Kingdom with Kairi's Togepi and then evolving into a Togetic. And then, she remembered when she used a Shiny Stone to make her Togetic evolve into a Togekiss. Kairi couldn't help but smile at those happy memories she had with Togepi.
"I guess you're right, Sora. I have been wondering what it'll be like taking care of two eggs at once, so why not give it a try?" Kairi asked.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Hey!" A familiar voice called out. It turned out to be Barry running like a madman toward the couple. He stopped to catch his breath before he smiled. "Sora, Kairi! It's been a while!"
"Barry, hey! It has been a while," Sora said.
"How have you been?" Kairi asked.
"I've been okay. I managed to win my second Gym Badge from Gardenia. Her Roserade was especially a toughie. But I managed to win the Forest Badge just by the skin of my teeth," Barry said, showing him the Coal Badge and the Forest Badge.
"Did you come by Hearthome City by any chance, Barry?" Sora asked.
"I did. When I got there, I was told the Gym Leader there had left, and that I shouldn't be looking for her. I even missed out on the Hearthome Tag Battle tournament. But I did catch it when you and that other guy took home the gold in first place when you beat Lucas and Paul," Barry said.
"What exactly were you up to, Barry?" Sora asked.
"Just catching some Pokémon and training. So I thought of heading for Veilstone City for a Gym battle there. But what about you? Did you win ay other Gym Badges?" Barry asked.
"Yeah, I did," Sora replied, showing Barry his three Gym Badges. Barry gasped when he saw the Relic Badge. "Holy Monferno-Combusken-cheese-balls! That's a Relic Badge! Don't tell me you beat Fantina!"
"Yeah. Lucas, Roxas, and I had to race each other to see which one of us got to challenge her right away. And let me tell you, she didn't exactly make it easy for me," Sora said.
"Man, if you weren't friends with me, Lucas, and Dawn, I would give you a fine so big, your spiky hair would do a backflip!" Barry said.
"Sorry, Barry. But at least you're doing okay for yourself," Sora said.
"Say, where are Lucas, Dawn, and the others?" Barry asked.
"We went our own separate ways for right now, so we're gonna meet up at Veilstone City," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"If you like, you could tag along with us," Kairi offered.
"Really? No foolin?" Barry asked.
"Really," Kairi assured.
"Thanks. I'd like that very much," Barry said.
With that said, Barry joined the couple for a little while as they continued to make their way toward Veilstone City. As they continued to go on, they come across what looks like a formation of stones.
"What is that?" Sora asked.
"Beats me, but it looks like somebody made a pile of rubble and just left it here," Barry said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said. Kairi looked at it and she noticed a familiar marking on the front. It showed the same kind of marking as the Odd Keystone.
"Sora, Barry, look at that," Kairi said.
"Look at what?" Barry asked. The boys sees the marking and Sora recognized it. "What is that weird marking?"
"It matches the one on the Odd Keystone," Sora pointed out.
"Odd Keystone? What are you two talking about?" Barry asked as Sora got it out.
"I'm talking about this. It was my Gible who found it, so I thought I'd hold on to it," Sora said.
"Why hold on to some old rock?" Barry asked.
"Well, this thing is said to have a Spiritomb trapped inside it. So we thought we hold on to it and take someplace that seems to be a good place for it to let a Spiritomb out," Sora said.
"Oh," Barry said. He then started to shiver with fear at the very thought of it when he suddenly realized it. "Wait, what?! Spiritomb? You sure you wanna do that? I have been hearing lots of scary stories about Spiritomb. From what I heard, it's a scary Pokémon!"
"Come on, Barry. Didn't you have a sense of adventure a little while ago?" Sora asked.
"I did, but I think I suddenly lost it," Barry said.
"What are you afraid of, Barry? You wanna see Spiritomb, don't you?" Sora asked.
"I guess I don't, but you twisted my arm," Barry said. He was still unsure if he should, but he didn't want Sora and Kairi to think he was chicken (bawk-bawk-bawk-bawk-bawk!).
They decided to wait, so they've set up camp just so they can witness it for themselves. They waited for hours, so Kairi has made some hot soup since it was going to be a cold night. Barry's Pokémon consisted of a Staravia, a Roselia, Ponyta, Heracross, and his Prinplup. Kairi gave Barry's Heracross a bowlful of honey to enjoy. The rest of Barry's Pokémon enjoyed the Pokémon food Kairi had made.
"Here, you go, Barry. Some nice, hot soup," Kairi said.
"Thanks," Barry said, taking his bowl. He took a spoonful of the soup and he blew on it before he placed the spoon in his mouth. "Wow! This is great! It's almost like my mom's cooking!"
"Looks like he's enjoying it," Sora said.
"Well, there's plenty to go around if you want to have seconds," Kairi said.
"I don't think that's a problem," Barry said, happily eating his soup. Unknown to them, the aroma of the soup has rached the Odd Keystone as it rattles around and around. Just then, a black entity seeped out of the Odd Keystone, alerting Sora, Kairi, Barry, and the Pokémon. The shadow has taken shape, showing Spiritomb. Upon waking up, Spiritomb then sniffs around and then eyed the pot full of soup. Spiritomb smiled widely and hops over to the pot and then started to wolf down the soup, instantly liking how it tasted. "Hey, that's our meal, you greedy freeloader!" Spiritomb then snarled at Barry, making him flinch. "On second thought, it's all yours!" Barry ran and hid behind Sora.
"Well, on the upside, we know Spiritomb likes your cooking," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
Spiritomb then sets its attention on the couple and then attacked with a Shadow Ball, making them duck their heads.
"And I think he wants to battle us," Kairi said. Spiritomb then attacked with a Dark Pulse, making them dodge it.
"Hey, stop that! Don't make me fine you!" Barry said.
"Okay, Spiritomb, if that's how you want it, then I accept your challenge! Pikachu! Go get him!" Sora said. Pikachu stepped in to battle against the Forbidden Pokémon. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt and sends it right at Spiritomb, but he fought back with another Dark Pulse, blocking it. Spiritomb then blew an Ominous Wind right at the Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu is blown in it, but he managed to land right on his feet. Spiritomb then fired a Shadow Ball right at Pikachu. "Bat it back with Iron Tail!" Pikachu jumped up and bats it back with Iron Tail, but the Forbidden Pokémon fired another Shadow Ball and blocked it, resulting in an explosion.
"That Spiritomb is tough! It's going toe-to-toe with Sora's Pikachu," Barry said.
Spiritomb fired a Night Shade and sends it right at Pikachu.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" Sora called out. Pikachu uses his lightning fast speed to avoid Spiritomb's Night Shade. "Okay, Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle!" Pikachu dashed toward Spiritomb with a Volt Tackle and lands a hit onto Spiritomb, hitting him. Pikachu has taken some recoil damage from Volt Tackle, and Spiritomb has taken some heavy damage. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it at Spiritomb, making him flow inside. The Pokéball wobbled around and around very violently. Sora knew Spiritomb could pop on out at anytime. He crosses his fingers until stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Sora's Pokémon Box goes off and it asks him if he wants to keep Spiritomb with him. He decided to send Spiritomb over to Professor Oak's lab.
"Holy smoke! You took on that Spiritomb despite how powerful it looked and you managed to catch it like it wasn't a problem. That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen in my life," Barry said.
"I didn't really do aything special. I just did what I did," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said as he panted. Sora gave Pikachu a Sitrus Berry to eat and recover from his injuries.
"Eat this, Pikachu. It'll help make you feel better," Sora said.
"Chu," Pikachu said.
Meanwhile, in a different world, Riku is fighting against an armored warrior with a Keyblade in hand. The Keyblade sports a wide, dark grey and beige blade, decorated with red lines. The teeth resemble demonic wings, and it features the Gazing Eye. The hilt resembles a ram skull, colored bronze, but the horns are grey with yellow lines. The guard is similar to the blade, in that it continues the beige and grey designs, incorporating wings similar to the teeth as well. The Keychain is a pair of stained glass butterfly wings colored yellow and pink, the body of the aforementioned insect being replaced by the Gazing Eye placed on the head of the Keyblade. This Keyblade is known as the End of Pain. Riku managed to overpower warrior as the End of Pain goes flying and Riku points it at him.
"Well done," the warrior said. "You have passed my test."
"It was all a test?" Riku asked.
"Indeed. You may keep that Keyblade. It serves no further purpose for me," the armored warrior said. Riku dismissed the End of Pain Keyblade. Riku had a couple of other Keyblades as well.
One has a dark pink guard with eight semicircles surrounding it and a black grip. The blade has an edge that curves in at intervals, fading from pink to grey to golden with angled lines. It eventually reaches a golden line that stretches to the tip and creates a rune. Its teeth resemble those of the Earthshaker, but with a straight edge, resembling teeth. The Keychain bears golden links, with the token with an odd-shape. This Keyblade is known as the Darkgnaw.
Another is a long Keyblade that appears chipped and very asymmetrical in its design. The handle is smooth and red-orange and is surrounded by a roughly rectangular guard. The guard is predominantly black, though it fades into dark red toward the base of the blade, and has uneven, chipped spikes on each of its corners. The shaft of the blade is black with a faded bronze border along its edges, which are lined with prominent chips. The head of the blade is decorated by several chipped and oddly-shaped red-orange spikes with black tips, which also form the teeth. The Gazing Eye is also set in the head of the blade. The Keychain token contains a second Gazing Eye. This Keyblade is known as the Chaos Ripper.
Riku was forbidden to use any of them until Rei has lifted his probation, so he had to stick with the Soul Eater he held. Naminé had to make sure he stayed on the right track.
Meanwhile, on the very next morning, Sora, Kairi, Barry, Pikachu, and Angel came across a tower.
"What's this place?" Kairi asked.
"The Lost Tower," Barry said. Sora and Kairi looked at Barry.
"The Lost Tower?" Sora asked.
"Yeah. I guess you can say that it's considered to be a graveyard for deceased Pokémon. When a Pokémon dies, they're laid to rest here at this tower," Barry said.
"It somehow reminds me of the Pokémon Tower back in Lavender Town," Kairi said.
"Vee," Angel said.
"Yeah, I remember when we first went there," Sora said.
"What happened at the Pokémon Tower? Were you attacked by the Ghost-type Pokémon living in there?" Barry asked.
"No, we weren't," Kairi said.
"The Pokémon Tower was haunted by a ghost. And no, it wasn't a Ghost-type Pokémon, it was a real ghost," Sora said.
"But it turns out the ghost in question was the ghost of a Marowak, worried about her baby," Kairi said.
"Yeah. A Marowak that died, protecting her baby from Team Rocket," Sora said. He cluntched his fist. "What they did to Pokémon in gerneral is unforgivable."
"Aw, man. They sound like a bunch of jerks," Barry said.
"Worse than that, Barry. Way worse than that," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"But fortunately, all the poor Pokémon that died because of Team Rocket can rest in peace," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel agreed.
"We could have a look inside it, right? It is a regular hangout for Ghost-type Pokémon like Gastly, Misdreavus, and Duskull," Barry said.
"We could have a look," Sora said.
With that said, they explored in Lost Tower and saw the graves of deceased Pokémon and the people to grieve over them. But there are some places where a couple of Dusclops were lurking as a Haunter is hovering around. After they did some exploring on the Lost Tower, they came to a fork in the road.
"So, Barry, you plan to stick with us a little longer?" Sora asked.
"Actually, I was wondering if I would have a battle against you, Sora. Just to show you how stronger I've gotten!" Barry said.
"Okay, Barry, I can take you up on your challenge. How do you wanna do it?" Sora asked.
"Let's make it a one-on-one battle. My Prinplup against your Pikachu," Barry said.
"Sure. I can take you up on that," Sora said, accepting Barry's challenge," Sora said
"Awesome! I'm going to give it my all!" Barry said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Prinplup! Go!" His Pokéball opened and his Prinlup emerged from inside, ready to battle. "Prinplup! Use Metal Claw!" Prinplup came right Pikachu with a Metal Claw.
"Use Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu swings his tail forward and clashed against Prinplup's Metal Claw. They clashed against one another like they were swords. They skid backwards as they stare at each other. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"Prinplup! Use Metal Claw again!" Barry ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt right at Prinplup, but the Penguin Pokémon uses it to block it. Barry smiled at that. "Wow! That worked even better than I thought it would."
"That was clever, Barry! Using an offensive move as a defensive shield is an awesome thing to see!" Sora said.
"Thanks. Just a little playbook I picked up from Kenny. He says hi by the way," Barry said.
"Let's keep this going, Barry! Use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered.
"Prinplup! Use Aqua Jet!" Barry ordered. Prinplup dashed forward with an Aqua Jet and collided with Pikachu. Both Pokémon took the hit from one another. "Use Bubble Beam!" Prinplup fired a Bubble Beam and sends it right at Pikachu.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge it!" Sora called out. Pikachu dodges Prinplup's Bubble Beam. "Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, shocking Prinplup on the mark. "Use Quick Attack!"
"Drill Peck!" Barry ordered. Prinplup does a spin with its beak forward and they clash against each other again and they hurt each other again. Prinplup triggers Pikahu's Static, resulting in a paralysis. "Prinplup, you okay?" Prinlup tried to move, but the paralysis was making it harder for it to move. "What happened?!"
"I guess your Prinplup just jump-started Pikachu's Static. It happens when the opponent makes physical contact with Pikachu since static electricity is in his fur," Sora said.
"You can beat this! Aqua Jet!" Barry ordered. Prinplup managed to use Aqua Jet despite a paralysis.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt, shocking Prinplup heavily, due to its Aqua Jet being active. Prinplup fell to the ground, beaten.
"Prinplup, are you alright?" Barry asked, concerned.
"Plup," Prinplup weakly said.
"Hey, don't sweat it. You were awesome. You gave it your all," Barry said.
"Yeah, you did," Sora agreed as he and Pikachu walked up to Prinplup. Sora have Prinplup a Sitrus Berry. "Eat this. It'll make you feel better." Prinplup ate the Sitrus Berry and recovered from the injuries. "And here's a Cheri Berry for the paralysis." Prinplup ate it, lifting the paralysis. Prinplup smiled.
"Thanks for doing that, Sora. I don't even care that I lost," Barry said.
"Hey, don't sweat it. The way you battled is the proof that you're an awesome Trainer," Sora said.
"That means a lot coming from you, Sora. But I'm planning on actually beating you in our next battle," Barry said.
"I don't doubt it, Barry," Sora said. He and Barry fist-bumped.
"It was great seeing you two again! I'll see you when I see you!" Barry said.
"Likewise," Kairi said.
A run-in with Barry was unexpected, but it was a delight. And Sora has caught himself a Spiritomb to boot, so the journey toward Veilstone City still continues as does the adventures that are to come, so stay tuned for some more excitement.
Just when I end it here, I have an announcement to make just before we end it here for now. I thought of having Sora and Kairi encountering Hisuian Pokémon during the Sinnoh journey. The way I have it is that they would be seen around Mount Coronet. But I am still planning to do the Pokémon Legends: Arcues arc for my fic, with Rei and Akari showing up as well. But the idea of Hisui Pokémon showing up in the wild yet has not been set in stone as of yet. I just wanted to share that idea with you. Anyway, that'll be all for right now, and thank you.