Pokemon Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Pokémon: Sora's Journey ❯ Sora vs Hayner ( Chapter 64 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Episode 64: Sora vs Hayner

A few days had passed since they parted ways with Red, Ash, and their friends. But Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Alolan nine, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, joined by Lea and Isa managed to finally make it to Viridian City.

"This brings back memories," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.

"From the day we met and when we came here," Kairi said fondly.

"This is where you grew up, Kairi?" Kiawe asked.

"Viridian City must be a nice place to live," Mallow said.

"It is. But we should go to my house," Kairi said. "I want all of you to meet my grandma."

"That's a good idea," Sora said. "I've been looking forward to meeting her anyway."

"I guess that means we're all heading there," Isa said.

"Sure does," Lana said.

"Since you know this city so much, you should lead the way, Kairi," Aqua suggested.

"Sure," Kairi said. "Come this way."

With that settled, the group followed Kairi in the direction of her house, unaware that Team Rocket had finally found them floating in their hot-air balloon.

"There they are! The twerps are right where we want them!" Jessie said.

"And now it's our chance to finally catch Pikachu and deliver it to the boss!" James said.

Just as they were going to begin hatching a plan, they hear a buzzing sound.

"We're getting a call from HQ!" Meowth said as he accessed their computer. Meowth pushed a few buttons and the screen shows a young man with fair skin, spikey aquamarine hair, and teal eyes. He wears a long white sleeve shirt with a black undershirt and the Team Rocket emblem printed near his right sleeve. He also wears a black belt, white pants, and white shoes. "It's Archer!"

"Yes, Mr. Archer, sir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth gteeted.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth. You three are being ordered to return to headquarters immediately," Archer said.

"Immediately?" James asked.

"Hold on! Just who do you think you are to say that we should come to right away?" Jessie asked.

"It came from the boss himself. He personally wants to speak with the three of you in person. So, in other words..." Archer paused. "GET YOUR WORTHLESS ASSES DOWN HERE NOW!"

Not needing to be told twice they had to comply with that order if it came from Giovanni himself.

"Right away," Jessie, James, and Meowth all said at once.

They turned the computer off and headed to Team Rocket headquarters to appear before Giovanni. They knew their boss could be wondering on why they hadn't brought in a single Pokémon to him.

Over to Sora and the others, they made it Kairi's house.

"And here it is," Kairi announced.

"Looks like a nice place to live," Hapu said.

"Sure is," Lana agreed.

"Yeah," Mina nodded.

Kairi walked up to the door and opened the door, but what she saw really surprised her, there were cardboard boxes all over the place.

"Grandma? Are you home?" Kairi called in the house as she and the others entered the house. Kairi's grandmother came down stairs and gasped in happiness.

"Kairi! My precious grandchild!" Kairi's grandmother greeted as she hugged her rightly. "Words cannot express how happy to see you again." They parted the hug as she noticed the Togepi in her granddaughter's arms. "Oh, and you must be Togepi." She smiled.

"He is. Say hello, Togepi," Kairi said.

"Pi! Toge, Toge, Togepi," Togepi chirped.

Kairi handed Togepi to her grandmother and held him as the little Pokémon reminded her of Kairi as a baby. She then turned her attention to her friends at the doorway.

"And I take it these are your friends, dear?" Kairi's grandmother asked.

"They are. Grandma, I would like you to meet my friends," Kairi said.

"My name is Lillie."

"I am Illima."

"My name is Mallow."

"I'm Kiawe."

"I'm Lana."

"My name's Sophocles."

"I'm Acerola."

"I'm Mina."

"And I'm Hapu."

"My name is Terra."

"I'm Ventus. But call me Ven."

"My name is Aqua."

"I'm Lea."

"The name's Isa."

"And I'm Sora."

"Pikachu."

"It's finally good to finally meet all of you," Kairi's grandmother said. "She has told me about all of you in her letters. Particular you, Sora." She handed Togepi back to her granddaughter walked up to the Pokémon trainer and gave him a big hug. "Thank you so very much for saving her life. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I had lost her as I have lost my daughter and son-in-law." Sora hugged her back knowing how welcomed he felt.

"Just happy to help out, ma'am," Sora said.

"So what's with all the boxes?" Kiawe asked.

"Yeah, grandma. Why is everything getting packed?" Kairi asked.

"I suppose I should tell all of you," Kairi's grandmother said. "I'm moving." Everyone was stunned to hear that; Kairi especially. "Life in the big city is a bit too much for me so I figured I should move to a small town and settle there."

"But where would you be moving to?" Ventus asked. She smiled and chuckled.

"To Pallet Town of course," the elderly woman answered. Sora and Kairi were even more stunned to hear that she and her granddaughter will be moving to Sora's hometown. They knew they could see each other whenever they wanted.

"That's sounds wonderful, grandma!" Kairi beamed.

"Toge, Toge," Togepi also beamed.

"Well that answers on the why and where," Lea said. "But who is helping out?"

"Just a few of the local children," Kairi's grandmother answered. And that was Hayner who came in the hall.

"We pretty much got everything else packed up. Where do you want us to pu-" Hayner was cut off by the bunch in her house. "Let me guess, Kairi right?" Hayner guessed.

"That's right," Kairi answered. Hayner turned to the other visitors and smirked.

"So which one is your boyfriend?" Hayner asked.

"That'll be me," Sora spoke up.

"So you're the one who risked his neck for the girl here," Hayner said as he looked at the Pokémon trainer and then over to Pikachu. "And that's your Pikachu, huh?"

"Um, yeah," Sora confirmed.

Pence and Olette came into the room and saw them.

"Oh hey! You're Kairi, aren't you? My name is Pence!" Pence introduced himself.

"My name is Olette," Olette introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you," Kairi greeted. Olette noticed the little Pokémon in her arms.

"Oh, how cute! A Togepi!" Olette cooed.

"Togepi!" Togepi chirped.

"I never really seen one before," Pence said.

"Me neither. How did you get that?" Hayner asked.

"I had Togepi ever since he hatched from an egg Sora and I found," Kairi said.

"Yeah, that's right," Sora said.

"So, you're Sora? We heard about you from Kairi's grandma," Pence said. "And that's your Pikachu too."

"Judging by how shiny its coat look, you did a great job raising it," Olette said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"And who are they?" Pence asked.

"These are friends of ours," Sora said. "This kid here is my younger cousin Ventus. We call him Ven."

"Hi there!" Ventus greeted.

"Good to meet you, Ven," Hayner said.

"These two are his friends, Terra and Aqua," Kairi introduced them.

"The rest of them are Lea, Isa, Lillie, Illima, Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, Sophocles, Acerola, Mina, and Hapu," Sora finished.

"So, you guys are from the Alola region?" Olette asked.

"We are," Acerola answered.

"We've been traveling with Sora and Kairi for quite a while now," Illima said.

"And the rest of us just hitched along for the ride," Lea said.

"Anyway, what brings all of you here, anyway?" Hayner asked.

"Well, since you brought it up, I pretty much came here for a battle with the Gym Leader here," Sora answered. Hayner, Pence, and Olette all looked at each other.

"How many Badges have you won, so far?" Olette asked.

"Seven," Sora answered.

"And you just need one more to enter the Pokémon League," Pence pointed out. Sora nodded.

"We were going to head on over as soon as my Pokémon are at a hundred percent, but we decided to drop by and meet Kairi's grandma first," Sora said.

"And that is very considerate," Kairi's grandmother said. "So very polite." That made Sora blush as some of the group were snickering.

"Well if luck would have it, I'm a Gym Leader myself," Hayner admitted. "And I accept your challenge, Sora."

Sora, Kairi, the Alolan nine, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Lea, and Isa were pretty stunned to hear that Hayner happens to be the Gym Leader of the Viridian City Gym.

"Yeah. Quite a shock right?" Pence asked.

"It is," Aqua said.

"So just about anyone can be a Gym Leader nowadays," Isa joked.

"And you're saying that I'm not cut out for the job?" Lea asked.

Everyone laughed as they all pitched in on helping load all the boxes into the moving van as it pulls up. Turtonator and Bewear were called out loading the refrigerator into the truck. The vehicle drives off to Pallet Town and instructed them to load the refrigerator in the kitchen.

"Well, I'll be at the Gym getting ready for our battle; meet me there," Hayner said as he, Pence, and Olette took their leave. Everyone else turned to Kairi's grandmother.

"I guess that's been taken care of, I could head to the Pokémon Center to get my Pokémon checked up," Sora said.

"If you don't mind me asking, Sora. But what other Pokémon is currently in your possession?" Kairi's grandmother asked.

"Well, I have a Venusaur, a Charizard, a Blastoise, a Dragonair, and a Hakamo-O," Sora answered. "But once they've been checked up I'm thinking of making a switch."

Once they arrived at the Pokémon Center Nurse Joy smiled at the sight of Sora and Kairi.

"Sora! Kairi! It's so good to see you two again!" Nurse Joy beamed. "You two have been doing pretty well for yourselves."

"You can say that," Sora said. "Just thought I could drop by and give my Pokémon a check up." Sora placed his four Pokéballs and his Safari Ball on the tray and Pikachu jumped on the counter.

"I'll be more than happy to, Sora," Nurse Joy said smiling.

Sora started to strategize on bis battle against Hayner. He figured the Gym would consist of Ground Type Pokémon so he figured Grass and Water would be a safe bet and Pikachu's electricity will have zero effect on them.

Meanwhile, over in Team Rocket Headquarters, Jessie, James, and Meowth given an earful as Giovanni had yelled at them for not bringing in a single Pokémon since they've been pursuing Sora and his friends for the last several months wasting resources.

"He took it better than expected," Meowth said.

"Yeah, but the downside is we have to start paying fees," James said.

"And that is going to hurt us big," Jessie groaned.

They hung their heads as they groaned. They start to walk out to proceed with their mission when a couple Team Rocket grunts just looked at them and chuckled.

"Hey! You two catch anything lately?" The grunt joked making several others laugh.

"That's a stupid question to ask them. The couldn't catch a cold," the second grunt also joked. That caused even more laughter among the ranks. Just then a large bulky man with messy blonde hair and wearing sunglasses along with another man with long turquoise hair and light blue eyes walked in.

"What's all this about?" The muscular man asked before he set his sights on the trio they were laughing at. "Oh, it's those three. The butts of our jokes." He laughed.

"Hey, don't you laugh at us, Attila!" Jessie hissed.

"You and Hun are just lucky that the boss loves to have you around!" James said.

"Yeah! Even more so than Cassidy and Butch!" Meowth added.

"Whatever," Attila said. "Just talking to you losers just makes me laugh since you never even stole even a piece of candy from a baby."

That made them growl in anger.

"Don't belittle them," Hun said. "Their incompetence doesn't mean anything to us. We have a job to do."

"Right!" Attila agreed. "You lot are needed for this mission! You in?"

"Right!" The Team Rocket grunts all said as they saluted. Hun turned to Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"You three can come along. For cleaning duty," Hun stated. "Keeps you three out of the way."

"Right," Jessie, James, and Meowth said as they went along with them.

Back to Viridian City, Sora picked up his Pokémon and exchanged Charizard and Dragonair for Decidueye and Primarina. Over to the Viridian City Gym, Hayner was getting ready for his battle against Sora when Pence came in.

"Hayner, Hayner!" Pence came in panting.

"Pence, what's up? You look like you've seen a ghost," Hayner said.

"Here's what's up! The Elite Four are coming! They just got wind of you being the new Gym Leader and they are going to be judging you by your skills."

"The Elite Four? Really? Oh, baby! Those guys are the big dogs of the trainer business," Hayner beamed.

"That's not something you should take too lightly," Olette said. "The reason they're coming down is because they wanna make sure if you're up to level."

"I know I am. And when they see me whip Sora, those guys will have to take me seriously," Hayner said. Pence and Olette were definitely worried now. They heard the Gym doors open and four people walked in. One is a woman wearing glasses and with her red hair tied in two pigtails and a ponytail. She also has hazel eyes. She wore a black sleeveless shirt, a purple pencil skirt, black high heels and a silver bracelet around her right arm. Another is a tall and muscular man. He has long black hair, tied in a thick ponytail, which dangles down his back to his shoulder blades and longish thick sideburns. He has small dark eyes with prominent eyebrows, a small nose and a square jaw. He wears white trousers with a tattered waist and ankles that are held up by a black belt, shirtless and black wristbands on his wrists. The third is an old woman with short yellow hair walking in with a brown cane she wore a dark purple dress with gray leggings and purple shoes wearing a white apron. The fourth is a thin man with bright scarlet red spiked hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. He wore medieval-looking navy blue tunic with red-orange trim, a brown belt around his waist, and large black boots with orange two rings around the top of each boot. The cuffs of his long sleeves are black with orange zigzagging trim separating the cuff from the navy blue part of the sleeve. He sports a long, flowing cape around his neck which is black on the outside and crimson red on the inside.

"It's them," Pence said almost losing his voice.

"The Elite Four," Olette said.

The Elite Four approached the three kids.

"Which one of you is the new Gym Leader?" The man in the cape asked.

"That'll be me, Lance," Hayner answered. "And I just want to say that it's an honor to finally meet you." He turned to the rest of them. "Lorelei. Bruno. And Agatha

"You do know why we're here, do you?" Agatha asked.

"Yeah I do," Hayner answered. "I'm hoping that I can do what I can impress you."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Lorelei said.

"Show us your strength to the next opponent that comes forward," Bruno said.

"Oh, you won't be disappointed," Hayner said.

"I hope not," Lance said.

With that said, the Gym doors open as Sora along with his friends joined by Kairi's grandmother.

"Sora! Good timing!" Hayner smiled. He went up to Sora. "You ready to lose?"

"You're the one who's going to lose, Hayner," Sora said.

The Elite Four approached the challenger and took a look at him.

"So it's a kid," Bruno said.

Sora, Kairi, the Alolan nine, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Lea, and Isa were awestruck by the sight of the Elite Four in front of them.

"Can you believe it?" Ventus whispered to Terra. "It's the Elite Four! We are standing in the presence of the Elite Four."

"I'm seeing it," Terra said just as amazed.

"They're total legends among Pokémon trainers," Lea whispered to Isa.

"So, what is your name, sonny?" Agatha asked.

"It's Sora Ketchum. I came from Pallet Town. My friends and I traveled all over the Kanto region collecting Gym Badges and I only need one more to compete in the Pokémon League," Sora answered.

"That is quite impressive, Sora," Lorelei said.

"It's no surprise to us to see how well you have accomplished, young Sora," Agatha said.

"Thanks. But why are you here, exactly?" Sora asked.

"We merely came to see how well our new Gym Leader shall fair as a Gym Leader," Bruno said.

"And it looks like we're about to get our answer," Lance said.

Both Sora and Hayner looked at each and shook hands.

"Don't hold anything back," Hayner said.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sora said.

Kairi, her grandmother, Olette, the Alolan nine, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Lea, and Isa took their seats in the bleachers with the Elite Four joining them watching as the battle was about to start. Pence took his position as the judge for the battle.

"The battle between Hayner the Gym Leader and Sora Ketchum from Pallet Town is about to begin! But before we begin, I would like to welcome the Elite Four to witness the battle! Both trainers will be using all six Pokémon for this battle! Only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokémon! The battle is over if all of either trainer's Pokémon is unable to battle! Let the battle begin!" Pence announced. Hayner chose his first Pokéball.

"Okay, you're up first, Marowak!" Hayner called out as he threw his Pokéball. It let out a Marowak and it twirls its bone upon entry. Sora took out a Pokéball of his own.

"Okay, Primarina! Go!" Sora shouted as he threw the Pokéball letting out Primarina.

"So he's starting up with a Water Type; impressive strategy," Agatha said.

"Wonder if the Gym Leader can handle it," Lorelei said.

"He did his homework," Olette said. "He knew ahead of time Hayner would be using Ground Type Pokémon."

"Primarina definitely has the advantage in Type," Lana said.

"He has this in the bag," Lea said smugly.

"Yeah he does!" Ventus said.

"Don't be so sure," Olette said. "None of Hayner's Pokémon are afraid of water or ice."

"She's right. That Marowak looks like a toughie and mine isn't something to sneeze at," Kiawe said.

"Starting with a Water Type Pokémon, huh? Predictable! Marowak! Start up with Iron Head!" Hayner ordered as Marowak charged towards Primarina.

"So Iron Head must a counter measure against Ice Types," Illima said.

"Hayner did his homework too," Isa said.

"It is. Hayner always had a thing for Ground Type Pokémon," Olette said.

"Disarming Voice!" Sora ordered as Primarina fired her sound attack right at the bone keeper Pokémon sending it back. "Now use Ice Beam!" Primarina fired Ice Beam right at Marowak.

"Dodge it!" Hayner called out as Marowak used its bone as a spring and jump out of the way before Ice Beam could hit. "Now use Aerial Ace!" Marowak did a flip and landed a hit on Primarina pretty hard.

"That was pretty good," Lance said. "Dodging that Primarina's attack like that."

"Gotta admit that I underestimated him," Bruno said.

"As did I," Agatha admitted. "But the battle is not over yet."

"Primarina! Sparkling Aria!" Sora ordered as Primarina sang and formed a ball of water and sent it to Marowak.

"Marowak! Dodge it, quick!" Hayner called out as Marowak avoids the attack. "Now use Earthquake!" Marowak slammed its bone on the ground pretty hard making the whole Gym shake.

"Aqua Jet!" Sora ordered as Primarina launched herself like a torpedo right at Marowak.

"Aerial Ace!" Hayner ordered as Marowak used Aerial Ace and collided with Primarina's Aqua Jet. Both were sent back still standing their ground. "Now use Iron Head again!" Hayner ordered as Marowak charged at Primarina again. Sora came up with an idea.

"Use Ice Beam on the floor!" Sora ordered as Primarina fired Ice Beam on the floor in front of Marowak making the Ground Type slip and slide.

"Marowak!" Hayner gasped.

"Using Ice Beam on the floor to make Marowak slip. Did Sora just come up with that?" Isa asked.

"Most likely," Terra answered.

"Dosen't look good for Marowak," Kairi said.

"Togepi," Togepi chirped.

Kairi's grandmother watched on as she was impressed by Sora's battling skills. It took her back when her husband and son-in-law were alive.

"Sparkling Aria!" Sora ordered as Primarina sang and sent her signature move to Marowak. That caused heavy damage as the bone keeper Pokémon was sent flying. "Now use Ice Beam!" Primarina fired Ice Beam right at Marowak whom didn't have time to react and got hit by the beam of ice. Marowak was frozen solid and fell to the ground beaten as the ice shattered.

"Marowak is unable to battle! Primarina wins!" Pence announced.

"One down, five to go," Hapu said.

"Sora is getting a pretty good start," Lea said.

"Sure looks like it; but Hayner isn't even close to giving up," Olette said.

Hayner calls his Marowak back and sighed.

"Okay, you knocked out my first Pokémon! But here's my next one! Rhydon! Go!" Hayner took out his Ultra Ball and threw it as it let out a Rhydon. Stars swirls around it as it is a brownish color and slightly larger than Sora's Rhydon. Sora pulls out his Pokéball and calls Primarina back.

"You did great, Primarina. You should take a break for a while," Sora said as he pulls out his Safari Ball and threw it. "Hakamo-o! Go!" Sora threw it as Hakamo-o punched the air upon entry. Lance and looked at the Pokémon with interest since being a Dragon and Fighting Type.

"A Hakamo-o. And judging by how it looks, he raised it well," Lance said.

"Agreed. I personally want to see it's power," Bruno said.

"Rhydon, Drill Run!" Hayner ordered as Rhydon rotates its body and chrages right towards Hakamo-o.

"Dodge and use Brick Break!" Sora called out. Hakamo-o moves out of the way before Rhydon could make a hit and Hakamo-o swings his arm down on Rhydon's back.

"Rhydon! Ice Punch!" Hayner ordered as Rhydon's fist emitted ice and threw a punch at Hakamo-o. Hakamo-o falls on the ground and gets back up on his feet.

"Dragon Claw!" Sora ordered as Hakamo-o charged towards Rhydon with his claws giving off a purple glow.

"Rhydon! Use Earthquake!" Hayner ordered as Rhydon stomped on the ground making the whole place shake.

"Jump!" Sora called out as Hakamo-o jumps in the and swipes Dragon Claw right at Rhydon. "Now use Sky Uppercut!" Hakamo-o's glow light blue. Hakamo-o then uppercuts the Shiny Pokémon, leaving a white trail behind his claws. Rhydon falls to the ground exhausted.

"Rhydon is unable to battle! Hakamo-o wins!" Pence announced.

"Two for two," Terra said.

"Sora definitely had his head in the game," Acerola said.

"He is pretty good, I can admit it," Olette said. Hayner calls Rhydon back in the Ultra Ball.

"Well, that was pretty good, but get a load of this!" Hayner said taking out a regular Pokéball and threw it. "Go, Sandslash!" The Pokéball lets out a Sandslash.

"You still good to go, Hakamo-o!" Sora asked. Hakamo-o nods to confirm it. "Great! Now use Dragon Claw!" Hakamo-o charges at the mouse Pokémon to land a hit.

"Sandslash! Charge right in with X-Scissor!" Hayner ordered as Sandslash's claws glows light blue and moves its claws right in front forming a blue X hitting Hakamo-o landing a critical hit. Hakamo-o falls to the ground knocked out.

"Hakamo-o is unable to battle! Sandslash wins!" Pence announced.

"He finally got one," Lorelei said. "I wonder how long will his comeback last."

"Okay, Venusaur! Go!" Sora said taking out a Pokéball and threw it.

"Venusaur!" Venusaur roared upon entry.

"So it's a Grass Type this time," Olette said. "Hayner won't find this easy. But neither will Sora."

Kairi didn't doubt it since she can tell how tough that Sandslash is; more so than Sora's Sandlsash.

"So a Grass Type Pokémon against my Sandslash, huh?" Hayner scoffed. "My Sandslash will take your Venusaur down several levels. Sandslash! Metal Claw!" Sandslash's claws metallized and charged right at Vensaur.

"Vine Whip!" Sora called out as Venusaur used Vine Whip to hit Sandslash.

"Dig!" Hayner called out. The spikey mouse Pokémon tunnels underground making Vine Whip miss its target.

"Stand your ground!" Sora said as Venusaur stood there waiting for Sandslash to make a surprise attack. The spectators watched anxiously waiting for the next move to be made.

"It could come out at any moment," Kiawe said.

"Sora needs to be on his toes when that happens," Sophocles said. With the waiting done, Sandslash jumps out and delivers a series of slashes to Venusaur.

"Now use Earth Power!" Hayner ordered. Sandslash glows golden yellow and stomps its foot on the ground. The attack heads towards Venusaur and hits him from underneath.

"Razor Leaf!" Sora called out as Venusaur fired Razor Leaf right at Sandslash.

"Dodge with Dig!" Hayner called out as Sandslash dug underground again. It didn't take long before Sandslash jumped back out right beside Venusaur. Sora was shocked as Hayner grinned. "X-Scissor!" Sandslash's claws glowed light blue and sent the attack after bringing its claws close to its body again. The X-Scissor hits Venusaur right on the head and he falls to the ground beaten.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Sandslash wins!" Pence announced.

"Both now has four each," Bruno said. "Our new Gym Leader is really coming around."

"Indeed. But wonder what the challenger has up in his sleeve," Agatha said.

"Return, Venusaur," Sora said calling Venusaur back. "You're a pretty good Gym Leader, Hayner. You're really giving me a run for my money."

"Thanks, Sora. I'm just ready for anything you can throw at me," Hayner said.

"I know you are," Sora said taking out another Pokéball and threw it. "Go, Blastoise!" Sora threw his Pokéball letting out Blastoise.

"Think you can psyhce me out with another Water Type? Not gonna happen. Sandslash! Metal Claw!" Hayner called out as Sandslash charged towards Blastoise with its claws metallized.

"Use Flash Cannon!" Sora ordered as Sandslash got hit by the beam of energy from his cannons. Kairi, her grandmother, the Alolan nine, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Lea, Isa, Olette and the Elite Four were amazed by the burst of power of Blastoise.

"No way!" Hayner gasped.

"Way! Blastoise! Hydro Pump!" Sora ordered as he fired Hydro Pump hitting Sandslash. Sandslash falls to the ground knocked out.

"Sandslash is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Pence announced. Hayner calls his Sandslash back.

"So it's three you've beaten. Big whoop," Hayner said taking out another Pokéball. "But here's what'll give you a real whooping. It's your turn, Nidoqueen!" Hayner shouted letting out his Nidoqueen.

"Say, Olette. How good is his Nidoqueen?" Mallow asked.

"Pretty tough. Hayner had his Nidoqueen since she was a little Nidoran," Olette explained.

"I do not doubt it," Illima said. "Judging by how that Nidoqueen looks Hayner has raised quite well."

"Okay Blastoise! Hydro Pump!" Sora ordered as Blastoise fired Hydro Pump right at Nidoqueen.

"Nidoqueen, dodge it!" Hayner called as Nidoqueen used her tail to jump in the air avoiding the water attack. "Now use Ice Punch!" Nidoqueen's fist emitted ice and threw it right at Blastoise. The punch landed and Blastoise takes a few steps back.

"Blastoise! Aqua Jet!" Sora ordered. Blastoise fired himself towards Nidoqueen, but uses her tail to dodge out of the way before Blastoise could make a hit.

"Move in with Body Slam!" Hayner ordered as Nidoqueen jumps to slam right into Blastoise.

"Flash Cannon!" Sora called out as Blastoise fired Flash Cannon sending Nidoqueen back. "Now finish up with Water Pulse!" Blastoise hurled a ball of water right at Nidoqueen causing heavy damage. Nidoqueen falls to the ground beaten.

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" Pence announced.

"Oh my! Sora is pretty good," Kairi's grandmother said. "I would expect no less of him."

"Yeah. We all had that thought when we first met him," Lillie said. "Riku was nothing to sneeze at."

"And I don't doubt that," Isa said.

"Come back, Nidoqueen," Hayner called Nidoqueen back. "You took down four of my Pokémon and I just took down two of yours. But it's not over yet!" Hayner took out another Pokéball and threw it. "Nidoking! Go!" The Pokéball opens and lets out his Nidoking letting out a roar upon entry.

"Not surprising to see a Nidoking along with a Nidoqueen. Hayner looks like he raised it well," Kiawe said.

"He did. Nidoking is a hard cookie to crack," Olette said.

The Elite Four watched on and they were pretty impressed by the way Sora had beaten four of his Pokémon.

"Blastoise, return!" Sora said calling Blastoise back and pulls out another Pokéball. "Decidueye! Go!" Sora threw his Pokéball and it lets out Decidueye. "Spirit Shackle!" Sora ordered as Decidueye shot an arrow right at Nidoking making an explosion. "I know you can't call your Nidoking back, but I shot an escape prevention move anyway."

"Okay, that wasn't bad, Sora," Hayner admitted. "But it'll take more than that to take down my Nidoking! Nidoking! Thunder Punch!" Nidoking's fist emitted electricity charging towards Decidueye.

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade!" Sora ordered as Decidueye charged in with Leaf Blade. The two attacks collided with each other. Both are taken back by the force of their moves. "Ominous Wind!" Decidueye flaps his wings blowing a purple wind towards Nidoking.

"Get out of there and move in with Fire Punch!" Hayner ordered as Nidoking gets out of the Ominous Wind and charged with his fists literally burning. Nidoking moves in and delivers a couple of fiery punches on Decidueye.

"Razor Leaf!" Sora ordered as Decidueye flapped his wings and sends a barrage of leaves right at Nidoking.

"Dodge and use Megahorn!" Hayner ordered. Nidoking's horn starts glowing white and heads towards Decidueye.

"Leaf Blade!" Sora ordered making Decidueye charge towards Nidoking. They both hit each other causing heavy damage. "Leaf Blade again!"

"Use Fire Punch!" Hayner called out. Nidoking charged in with a burning fist with Decidueye charging in with Leaf Blade. They both give each other a good clean hit, but Nidoking falls to the ground knocked out.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Decidueye wins!" Pence announced.

Hayner calls back his Nidoking as Decidueye is still on the battlefield panting. Hayner knew Decidueye must have used so much of his strength during the battle.

"You're really not half bad. The way you handled your Pokémon is pretty good," Hayner complemented.

"Thanks, Hayner. Just give me what you've got!" Sora said.

"And I plan to do that with my last Pokémon," Hayner said pulling out another Ultra Ball and threw it. "Rhyperior! Go!" Hayner's Ultra Ball lets out a large, dark brown rhino-like Pokémon with two horns: one on its nose, and another one above it. It has a club-like tail and its hide is partially covered by orange, rocky plates. It has blade-like protrusions on its elbows and has holes in the palms of its hands which works as a cannon or a gun. Sora took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon in front of him.

Rhyperior, the Drill Pokémon

The evolved form of Rhydon

Type: Ground/Rock

It can load up to three projectiles per arm into the holes in its hands. What launches out of those holes could be either rocks or Geodude. It relies on its carapace to deflect incoming attacks and throw its enemy off balance. As soon as that happens, it drives its drill into the foe.

"Hayner must have been saving that one for last," Sora said in his thoughts. Sora put his Pokédex away. "There isn't a doubt in my mind that Rhyperior is going to be more tougher than the last five Pokémon." Sora smiled and spoke out loud, "Decidueye! Leaf Blade!" Decidueye charged towards Decidueye with his wings out to slice Rhypherior.

"Thought you'd try that! Rhyperior! Ice Beam!" Hayner ordered as Rhypherior fired Ice Beam right at Decidueye freezing him in place.

Everyone except Olette and the Elite Four gasped in shock as Rhyperior just stopped Sora's Pokémon cold; no pun intended.

"No way!" Sora exclaimed.

"Now use Flamethrower!" Hayner ordered as Rhyperior fired Flamethrower right at Decidueye not only melting the ice, but knocking him out.

"Decidueye is unable to battle! Rhyperior wins!" Pence announced. Sora calls back Decidueye and pulls out another Pokéball.

"Okay, Blastoise! Back to action!" Sora said throwing the Pokéball letting out Blastoise.

"Blastoise!" Blastoise said.

"Flash Cannon!" Sora ordered as Blastoise fired Flash Cannon right towards the large Pokémon.

"Block that with Flamethrower!" Hayner called out as Rhyperior fired Flamethrower blocking Blastoise's attack. It resulted in an explosion. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Rhyperior fires Thunderbolt right at Blastoise. The large turtle Pokémon gets knocked out of the battle.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Rhyperior wins!" Pence announced.

"Sora has only two Pokémon left!" Kairi said.

"Toge, Toge!" Togepi chirped.

"You knew he was saving Rhyperior for last, didn't you?" Lea asked.

"I did," Olette admitted. "Rhyperior is Hayner's strongest Pokémon; and not many trainers could take him down easily."

"I supposed not," Kairi's grandmother said. Sora calls back his Blastoise and pulls out Primarina's Pokéball.

"Okay, Primarina! Back to action!" Sora said as he threw his Pokéball letting out Primarina. "Sparkling Aria!" Primarina sang and formed a ball of water and hurls it towards Rhyperior.

"Ice Beam!" Hayner ordered. Rhyperior fired Ice Beam freezing Primarina's attack. It fell to the ground and shattered. "Now fire Thunderbolt!" Rhyperior fired Thunderbolt right at Primarina. The attack causes heavy damage and Primarina gets knocked out.

"Primarina is unable to battle! Rhyperior wins!" Pence announced.

"Well, it looks like they both have one Pokémon each," Lance said.

"He overcame his Decidueye and both Water Types like it was not a problem. That boy has real strength," Bruno said.

"Indeed. This final round will decide how far he will go," Agatha said.

Sora knew very well Pikachu is an Electric Type and Electric moves are a no go, but he remembered his battle with Brock back at Pewter Gym and he had to rely on Pikachu's speed to win.

"Okay, Pikachu. You all set to go?" Sora asked.

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded. The yellow mouse enters the battle. Hayner just scoffed at the sight.

"So it's your Pikachu for this one, huh? You do know electricity won't phase my Rhyperior, right?" Hayner reminded him.

"Wouldn't you be surprised?" Sora countered.

"Sora must have an ace up his sleeve," Sophocles said.

"But what could that be?" Kairi's grandmother asked.

"We'll just have to find out," Illima said.

"Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Sora ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu ran across the battlefield.

"Stop that Pikachu cold with Ice Beam!" Hayner ordered as Rhyperior fired Ice Beam right at Pikachu, but is having a hard time aiming because of Pikachu's speed.

"Use Iron Tail!" Sora called out as Pikachu jumped and swung at Rhyperior hitting him pretty hard.

"Not was a pretty good hit! But it's not enough! Earthquake!" Hayner ordered as Rhyperior slams his fist on the ground making the whole place shake.

"Pikachu, jump!" Sora called out as Pikachu used his tail to jump in the air to escape Earthquake. While Pikachu was in the air, Sora got a pretty good idea. "Okay Pikachu! Electro Ball! But aim it at the ground!"

"Chu!" Pikachu nodded as Pikachu fired Electro Ball right towards the ground making a hole next to Rhyperior. Hayner was confused by this movement.

"What is he trying to do? Is he playing with me with that trick?" Hayner asked in his thoughts. "I better end this fast before it gets too intensed!" Hayner spoke out loud, "Rhyperior! Use Thunderbolt right towards Pikachu!" Rhyperior obeyed by firing Thunderbolt right on the ground to hit Pikachu.

"Get away with Quick Attack!" Sora ordered as Pikachu ran pretty fast making the electric attack follow. Pikachu just ran around Rhyperior making Thunderbolt follow. Sora said in his thoughts, "That's right! Play right in my hands."

Hayner was growing frustrated with Pikachu's speed.

"Oh screw it! Rhyperior! Just chase after it!" Hayner ordered. Rhypherior took a few steps towards Pikachu but trips at the hole making the large rhino Pokémon trip and fall.

"That was clever of the challenger using Rhyperior's slow movements and size against it," Lorelei said amused.

"It looks like it's all over now," Lance said.

"Sora definitely has this in the bag now!" Lea said.

"Come on, Sora! You can do it!" Ventus cheered.

"Pikachu! Wrap it up with one more Iron Tail!" Sora ordered as Pikachu ran towards Rhypherior and gave a finishing Iron Tail on the side of Rhyperior's head knocking out the large Pokémon.

"Rhyperior is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! The battle goes to Sora Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Pence announced.

Ventus cheered as he and the rest came down and congratulated him on his victory. Hayner would have been angered by his loss, but he just smiled. He calls Rhyperior back as he walked up with Pence and Olette joining in beside him.

"That was a pretty sweet battle, Sora. You're very good," Hayner complemented. "I guess the only thing I could do is give you that Badge I owe ya." Olette took a green badge shaped like a leaf. She handed it to Hayner. "So here it is. The Earth Badge." Hayner handed it Sora as he smiles.

"And the Earth Badge makes eight," Sora beamed.

"Still, I can't believe I lost," Hayner groaned. "And in front of the Elite Four too."

"You both have performed splendidly," Lorelei said. "You both have shown such great potential in your skills."

"You have demonstrated real strength. But you also shown great tactics as well, and that is never to be overlooked," Bruno said.

"You both should be proud of your achievements," Agatha said smiling. "You should be very proud indeed."

"The bond you both share with your Pokémon is something you should always take with pride," Lance said. He took a look at Hayner. "We all know how far you will go, Hayner." And then he turns to Sora. "And the same with you, Sora."

"Thanks, Lance," Sora said smiling. "If it came from the Elite Four, then that means a lot."

The Elite Four take their leave of Viridian City as Sora and the rest head of to the Pokémon Center to heal up Sora's team. Hayner sat next to Sora.

"Again, congrats," Hayner said.

"Thanks, Hayner. But you were nothing to sneeze at either," Sora said.

"Do you think we could hang with each other from time to time. When I'm not too busy with running the Gym that is?" Hayner asked.

"Anytime, Hayner," Sora said. "As long I'm not too busy myself."

The two boys fist bumped as their friends came in with sea-salt ice cream and ate it while they wait for Sora's Pokémon to heal up.

Once Sora's Pokémon were at a hundred percent, they join up with Kairi's grandmother as they head off to Pallet Town to her new house. Hayner, Pence, and Olette wave goodbye to the group taking their leave. When they finally arrived in Pallet Town, Sora's face lit up.

"So this is Pallet Town," Kairi said. "Must be a nice place to live."

"It is," Sora said as he turned to his girlfriend smiling. "I wonder where your new home is going to be?"

"I just hope it isn't too far from you," Kairi said.

Sora placed his arm around Kairi as she placed her head on her shoulder. Kairi's grandmother smiled at the sight of her granddaughter and her boyfriend being so much in love.

The group made their way through Pallet Town as the Alolan nine were pretty amazed by the way Sora described his hometown. They made their way through Sora's neighborhood and saw that Kairi's new house is right next to Sora's house.

"It's just next door to my house!" Sora beamed. Sora ran to his front door and opened the door. "Mom! I'm home!" Sora looked around and saw a Mr. Mime in an apron.

"Mime, Mr. Mime," the Mr. Mime greeted.

"A Mr. Mime?" Sora questioned confused.

"Welcome home, Sora," a familiar voice called from behind and saw it was Riku, Naminé, and Eevee.

"Riku? Naminé?" Sora asked as Kairi, her grandmother, the Alolan nine, Lea, Isa, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua had entered the house as well. "What are you doing here?"

"When we arrived in Pallet Town, your mom invited us to stay over as guests," Naminé answered.

"That's great and all, but where's my mom and where did that Mr. Mime come from?" Sora asked.

"We met him just a few days ago and Mimey was a big help around the house," Riku said.

"And your mom went shopping and she'll be back soon," Naminé answered. Sora turned to the Mr. Mime and and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's good to meet you, Mimey," Sora greeted holding out his hand.

"Mr. Mime!" Mimey shook Sora's hand.

"Welcome home, Sora," Delia greeted when she entered the house smiling.

"Mom," Sora said as he went to give his mother a hug. Both mother and son hugged each other feeling it was years since they last saw each other.

"Oh, my precious boy! You grew a little taller since I last saw you," Delia said. She saw her nephew and their friends as well. "Oh! It's wonderful to see all of you again!" She turned to the unfamiliar teens there. "And these are?"

"My name is Lea, ma'am," Lea introduced himself.

"And my name is Isa," Isa also introduced himself.

"It's very nice to meet you two," Delia smiled and she turned to Kairi's grandmother. "And you must be Kairi's grandma. It very nice to meet you."

"A pleasure," Kairi's grandmother said. "And I must say, you have done a wonderful job raising your son."

The two women did hit it off nicely as Sora and Kairi knew they would. Everyone went over to Kairi's new house and saw how great a job the movers did with the placing of the furniture. All that was left was unboxing the items. That took them just several hours. Once that was done, Sora's mom and Kairi's grandmother prepared a meal for everyone and ate to their heart's content.

The girls stayed over at Kairi's while the boys stayed over at Sora's house. Sora and Pikachu entered his bedroom and saw it just how he left it. Sora changed into his pajamas and he looked out the window and saw how nice Pallet Town is at night. Sora gave off a loud yawn and climbed into bed.

"Now that we have won eight Badges, we can enter the Pokémon League, Pikachu," Sora said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed. Sora patted Pikachu on the head and smiled.

"It's kinda funny when you think about it. I don't know how I would have turned out if I hadn't met you and Kairi on that day," Sora said. "But I'm kinda glad that happened because I have my best friend and my girlfriend beside me."

"Pika," Pikachu beamed at that drifting off to sleep.

"Goodnight, Pikachu," Sora said as he passed out asleep.