#nioivern

One with the wind and sky, a fierce sky warrior with a gentle soul, soaring high is Sora the Noivern

Name: Sora

Gender: Male

Type: Dragon and Flying

Pokémon Species: Noibat -> Noivern

Nature: Gentle

Ability: Infiltrator

Hidden Ability: Telepathy

Trainer: Katie Gemwing

PokéBall: Ultra Ball

Dynamax: Is able to Dynamax

Z-Crystal(s): Flyinium Z, Steelium Z and Dragonium Z

Terra Type: Dragon -> Flying

Move Set: Boomburst, Steel Wing, Air Slash, and Dragon Pulse

Former Moves: Tackle, Wing Attack, Super Sonic and Gust

Sora is the fourth Pokémon Katie had caught in her journey. Surprisingly, however, he was caught in Paldea rather than Kalos, and how Katie and the gang met him was quite a story…

A Broken Wing: On route to Alicia’s third Gym Challenge with Brassius, Katie and the gang happen upon an injured, starved and dehydrated Noibat stuck in a poacher’s net, the result of its struggle caused it to break its wing. Not wasting any time, Katie freed the Noibat, but with no nearby Pokémon Centers for immediate care, the students have to tend to the ailing Noibat themselves. Katie offered the shaken Noibat some food and water while Arturo tends to the wounds. Katie the removed her hoodie to bundle the Noibat up in it to use as a makeshift nest as she carried it in her arms as she and her friends immediately left to get to town and take it to the local Pokémon Center.

As the Noibat is seen to immediate care, Brassius just so happen to stop by the Pokémon Center himself to have his own Pokémon be healed up after a recent Gym Battle when he noticed the Noibat resting in the emergency room.

According to the Gym Leader, there had been some sightings of a notorious poacher out hunting for Dragon-type Pokémon to either use use them for profits or sell them in a black market auction, not even caring if they might hurt the Pokémon, much to Katie’s anger-induced disgust.

Out of sympathy for the Noibat, Brassius chose to postpone his battle with Alicia until the ailing Pokémon makes a full recovery. Much like she had with Wynter when she was an Alolan Vulpix, Katie insisted on staying at Noibat’s bedside, even begging the local Nurse Joy to allow her to stay in the room overnight. While watching over the Pokémon, Katie tearfully lamented how much it and other Pokémon regardless of types or species don’t deserve to be treated horribly by such people like poachers, wishing she had the power to put an end to poaching for good so the world would be a safer place for Pokémon.

Hearing how much Katie actually cared so much for it and how much she was going through to stay by its side as it recovers, the Noibat she’s a few tears of touched it’s felt her kindness and empathy, the very things it had longed from its previous trainer.

The following morning, the Noibat was fully nursed back to health, recommended to be given a couple of weeks until its wing is fully healed.

Just as the students were about to leave the Pokémon Center for Alicia’a challenge with Brassius, the Noibat suddenly leapt off the bed, much to the surprise and concern of Nurse Joy, immediately scampering on its little legs towards Katie. The little Dragon and Flying type latched itself onto Katie’s leg, frantically shaking its head in refusal as if begging her not to leave.

Nurse Joy put two and two together, suggesting that the Noibat wants to go with Katie, to which the bat-like Pokémon immediately confirmed. Surprised at first, Katie was touched by the Noibat’s sudden fondness for her, asking if that’s what he wanted. The Noibat happily answered and instantly touched the Ultra Ball, fully caught by his new trainer and starting his new life and earning his new name.

The Wind Beneath My Wings: Weeks after Alicia won her Gym Challenegs with Brassius and Sora’ wing made a full recovery. With his wing fully healed, heis able to fly again. Only one problem; he’s a bit of a weak flyer as he could barely able to lift himself up. Arturo theorised that is Sora was all alone when the group had found him in the net; the Noibat’s former colony must have kicked him out for being a very weak flyer, much to Sora’s sorrow and shame.

Determined to help Sora gain his confidence and becoming a stronger flyer, Katie helped him train with the help of Meadow’s Swanna, Rachel’s Hawlucha, Arturo’s Corvisquire and even Alicia’s Salamance, Ventus.

After hours of practice and the encouragement of his newfound friends, Sora was finally to fly high to soar the skies. Happy with her Noibat’s complete ability of flight, Katie embraces Sora, proud of his achievement.

Once Sora has become a very strong flyer, his training to become one of Katie’s reliable Pokémon began, getting stronger and skilful each and passing day.

With Katie as his trainer, Sora’s full potential as a very strong Pokémon will soar to greater heights. This has proven when he had defeated Martin’s Stunky after the bully callously dismissed as a “puny weakling with wings”, knocking the wind out his sails.

“Never underestimate a Pokémon by its size.” Katie had scolded Martin before she and Sora high-fived in celebration as Martin carried his knocked out Skunky away to sulk.

While he’s not training or battling, Sora spends most of his days outside of his Pokémon, riding atop of Katie’s head, never once leaving his trainer’s side.

Mess with the Dragon, You Get the Claws: While the group were taking a detour in a forest on route to the Petalburg Ciry Gym for Arturo’s Gym Challenge with Norman, they get separated during an encounter with Cassidy and Butch, the mishap causing Katie to drop all of the PokéBalls containing her team except Sora’s, leaving both her and her Noibat all alone lost in the woods and to go search for their friends.

While searching for Alicia and the others, Katie and Sora end up being confronted by a savage pack of wild Mightyena. Sora tries to fend off the pack but was too small and was vastly outnumbered by the Dark-Types. Katie tries to protect her Noibat by fending off the pack with nothing but a stick until she was pinned down by one of them, giving the leader to go in for the kill.

Seeing his trainer about to get killed, Sora’s determination to protect her was great enough to make him evolve into a Noivern, throwing off the Mightyena that had him pinned. With a mighty roar, the fully evolved Sora was big and strong enough to take down the pack and overpower their leader, throwing him back with his newly learned move — Boomburst.

Realising they now don’t stand a chance against an angry Noivern, the Mightyena leader and its pack were forced to retreat just as Alicia and the others arrived. Relived that the Mightyena were finally gone and overjoyed that Sora had evolved, Katie embraced her Noivern, so proud of how far he came since he was a Noibat.

Beware the Dragon Hunter: While the group were on route for Anistar City for Alicia’s fourth Gym Challenge with Sophia’s aunt, Olympia, they happened upon a weakened and injured wild Goomy far away from it’s natural habitat. They quickly rushed the Goomy a nearby Pokémon Center, where an Officer Jenny was setting up wanted posters of an infamous Dragon-type Pokémon hunter. According to the officer, it was said that the poacher had fled from Paldea and is on the run from the authorities.

The poacher, Draco, had been notorious for specially poaching Dragon-type Pokémon selling them off for profits or much worse and he had been wanted by the authorities for a long time.

Once the Goomy made a full recovery, the group decided to postpone their arrival in Anistar City to help the Pokémon find its way home once returned to the wild. As they, along with Jenny were out in the woods, Katie thought it’d be a good idea to send out Sora to fly on ahead to find any signs of Goofy’s friends. However, just as the Noivern was about to fly on ahead, he was suddenly ensnared in a net thrown out of nowhere, throwing him to the ground.

This suddenly event triggered a trauma in Sora, remembering he had once been trapped in a similar and had broken his wing before Katie and her friends have found him back in Paldea.

The one responsible for trapping Sora revealed himself to be Draco, the Dragon Hunter, who just so happened to be poaching for Noivern’s, not even caring if he would even go as far as stealing any belonging to Pokémon Trainers.

Under mysterious circumstances, Draco had obtained several Dark Balls, evil variations of PokéBalls that turns any Pokémon evil and destructively violent upon capture that were used by the ruthless Team Rocket Elite Operative, the notorious Iron-Masked Marauder.

Much to the disbelief and horror of Katie, the Pokémon Draco sent out from a Dark Ball was the former leader of the Mightyena pack that has attacked her and Sora upon recognising the scar it had received after Sora swiped it away, indicting that Draco must have previously been hunting for Dragon-types in Hoenn potentially after Arturo’s challenge with Norman.

While Jenny and her Manectric were holding Draco and his evilised Mightyena off, Katie and her friends freed Sora from the net as Katie settled the rattled Noivern down from his stress of his trauma. The group there then forced to flee deeper into the woods as Draco sent out the rest of his Dark Ball Pokémon after them, only for them to be defeated and forced to flee back to their “trainer” when Alicia, Katie and the other students have fought back with their own Pokémon.

A Dragon’s Fury: While regrouping, Jenny and the students happen upon Draco’s hideout, which housed all a handful of Dragon-type Pokémon confined in cages, especially the very colony of Noibats that had exiled Sora.

Seeing how Draco had gone too far, both Katie and Sora were enraged when they and the others confronted Draco. During the struggle to overpower the Pokémon under the influence of the Dark Balls, Katie actually tackled Draco herself, even going as far as to bite his arm when he attempted to capture Alicia’a Salamance, Ventus and Rachel’s Dragonite. Enraged, the poacher sent out the Mightyena to attack Katie, which has proven to be his own undoing as this only angered Sora due to his previous battle with the former leader.

After overpowering the Mightyena, Sora let out a powerful blast of Dragon Pulse on all of the Dark Balls, freeing all of the Pokémon from Draco’s influence and abuse for good. Upon being purged of the influence of the Dark Balls, the Pokémon Draco had enslaved and immediately fled in fear, showing there was no true loyalty between them.

Without any Pokémon under his control to bail him out of his situation between an Officer Jenny, some angry students and their Pokémon out to bring him to justice and a furious Noivern, Draco has shown his true colours to be a coward as he attempted to cut his losses and flee.

However, the poacher had lost his footing and fell into a raging river, angering a Gyarados after he accidentally fell atop of it. Just as the poacher was frantically fending himself with nothing but a piece of driftwood floating in the water and his hat, the Gyrados noticed a waterfall ahead, forcing it to make a U-turn and swim away to safety. Just as Draco was gloating about supposedly performing an impressive feat of “whooping” a single Gyarados, he suddenly realised why it had turned tail as he attempted to swim away from the waterfall. He would have faced a watery grave if Sora hadn’t caught him with his talons just in time.

But karma wasn’t letting the poacher off so easy as the primary reason for the Noivern to “save his life” was to ensure that Draco faces a punishment worse than death itself as he was dropped into a corner at the mercy of justly angry Dragon-type Pokémon, his former catches boxing him in as Jenny and the students confronted him. Even Wynter the Alolan Ninetales and several of the other students’ Pokémon that know Ice Beam effortlessly froze the poacher to the feet up in a block of ice to restrain him as Jenny arrests him.

After Jenny arranged for all of the Dragon-types to be returned to their respective home regions, Sora obtains full closure of not only bringing Draco to justice but also having full reconciliation with his former colony after seeing how much he had grown. They have offered him to return to Paldea with them as their leader, but Sora declined for he was content with his new colony and family.

The Gentle Giant: Despite his now intimidating appearance and his species’ terrifying reputation, Sora still retains his sweet personality, his affections for his trainer going strong. However, due to his massive size, he is unable to perch himself on Katie’s head, adapting to enfold her in his wings, hugging her.

He is also very gentle and careful around the baby Pokémon after their hatching as he often lets them climb onto his back and use his tail to entertain them.

While he was about to give Artemis the Eevee a ride, he offered Eris to join in, but was rather confused and a little hurt when the little Togepi toddled away in fear and cowered in Alicia’s arms, whimpering. It turns out, despite being a Fairy-Type, which are stronger than his type, Eris is afraid of Dragon-Types, much to the Noivern’s dismay. It wasn’t long until an encounter with a wild Fraxure and defeating it with a Dazzling Gleam via Metronome had Eris overcame her fear of Dragon-Types and warmed up to Sora.

After Eris had fully evolved into Togekiss, she enjoys flying alongside Sora and Arthur. And whenever Thomas’s Swoot tries to flirt with the dismayed and disgusted Eris, Sora and Arthur are quick to tell the Bat Pokémon to back off whenever the Flying Fairy Type hides behind them to escape from Swoobat’s unwanted affections.

Soaring to Even Greater Heights: As addition to his evolution, Sora is very eager to let Katie to ride on his back in the air, wanting her to see the world from his view like Alicia, Katie wasn’t a fan of heights herself until she was eventually got comfortable and enjoyed travelling this way. What Katie had yet to know that this newfound experience would lead her to actually ride on a Taxi Corviknight in the middle of strong winds with Leon after she accidentally slept in and was running late to join her friends in Hammerlocke to cheer Alicia on her match against Raihan.

Friends: Nalu the Primarina, Glimmer the Galarian Rapidash, Spirit the Lucario, Artemis the shiny Umbreon, Alicia’a Pokémon, Rachel’s Pokémon, Meadow’s Pokémon, Arturo’s Pokémon, David’s Pokémon, Ron’s Pokémon, Nani’s Pokémon and Sophia’s Pokémon

Special Friendship: Arthur the Corviknight

During the students’ visit in Galar for one of their Gym Challenges, they meet Katie’s uncle who works as a Corviknight taxi driver, Chris and his Corviknight, Arthur. Sora felt a close connection with the Flying and Steel type due to Chris had revealed that his Corviknight had once been a wild Corvisquire that had been exiled by his former flock after losing a battle for leadership with another Corvisquire and had broken his wing after a scuffle with a larger wild Pokémon. The Corvisquire would not have lasted longer with his condition out in the middle of the rainstorm if Chris had not found him to took him home to be nursed back to health.

Overtime, the Corvisquire chose to become Chris’s partner Pokémon as Arthur was trained to become a stronger and faster flyer, eventually evolving into a Corviknight and they both applied for a job in taxi driving.

Both Sora and Arthur apparently get along well given their trainers are related, much like Sora, Arthur is a surprisingly gentle and docile Pokémon despite his intimidating appearance and size. One time, Sora actually attempted to carry a taxi carriage himself, but wasn’t strong enough, much to the amusement of the humans and Katie gently supported his efforts to impress the bemused Corviknight.

Dragons of a Scale: In a way, Sora can relate to Ventus when it comes to their previous lives before Katie and Alicia. While it’s true that Ventus had had been cruelly abandoned by Chad all because the spiteful trainer cares more about winning Pokémon battles rather than Pokémon, Sora still felt hurt and alone with his former colony of wild Noibats forced him to leave due to being a weak flyer back than and they thought he would only slow them down.

When not hanging out to fly, they often spar with each other in some of Katie and Alicia’a training sessions to improve on their flight skills and abilities. Both being the same type that are both strong and weak against each other, the two flyers are evenly match given they are very strong Pokémon in each of their trainers’ team in their own right.

One Sided Rival: Martin’s Skuntank

Let’s face it; Martin’s choice of Pokémon to battle a Noivern stinks (pun may or not be intended). Let’s just say that his Skuntank has a huge disadvantage against a Pokémon that can fly. The Dark and Poison-Type is easily taken down by a Dragon Pulse or an Air Slash befire he could blink. The skunk-like Pokémon would be lucky he can still hear his trainer’s commands after taking a blast of Boomburst at full volume.

Ever since Sora easily defeated it when the latter had been a Noibat and the former was a Stunky, Skuntank is unable to keep up with the Dragon and Flying type since he’s has the disadvantage of being grounded. However, after Sora had evolved, Skuntank is downright terrified of the fiercer Noivern to dreading of having to battle him again, wishing for his trainer ti have him switch with a different opponent. Unfortunately for Skuntank, Martin is far too stubborn of having his Dark and Poison type to go up against Sora, which always ends up as his own undoing.

Official Rival: Sophia’s Altaria

What better rivalry than having two Dragon-Types going up against each other? And when Altaria Mega Evolves, this is truly a battle for Sora to take seriously.

Outside of their battles, Sora is always happy to share out some fruits with Altaria, paving that despite being rivals, they are decent friends on good terms and Sora is always happy to make time to hang out with all the friends he had made since joining Katie on her journey to become a great trainer.

Back when she was a Swablu and Sora had been a Noibat, Altaria had been one of the Flying-types in the students’ team to help him become a stronger flyer as she demonstrated flying higher and lower as one of the basics in his flight training.

All the assistance and support had finally paid off as not only was Sora a better flyer, but he was able to keep up with Altaria in the air during a battle and is a pro in Sky Battles.

Likes: Flying, perching and riding on Katie’s head (formerly as when he was a Noibat), cuddling Katie, getting petted by Katie, training, relaxing and napping up in trees

Dislikes: Bullies, Thomas and his roommates picking on his trainer and friends, Cassidy and Butch, poachers nets, poachers, Draco the Dragon Hunter, getting his ears, wings or tail pulled, Katie being threatened, getting hurt or feeling sad and sour things

Favourite Food: Pecha berries, apples, (as long as they’re sweet and hates ones that are sour), bananas, sandwiches, any kinds of sweet pastries and cookies

Name Origin: In Japanese, Sora means “sky”, which fits well for both a Dragon and Flying type. The primary reason Katie had giving him that name not only but because she sees his potential to become a a very strong Pokémon and soar to greater heights.

Unique Traits: When he was a Noibat, Sora would spend most of his time outside of his PokéBall and perch himself atop of Katie’s head. However, after he had evolved, he realised that he’s gotten too big to carry on this trait, instead adapting to wrapping Katie up in his wings and pulling her into a hug in an affectionate manner.

And since he does show some bat-like traits, he often times hang upside from tree branches by climbing onto them by his clawed feet while wrapping his wings around himself, even after evolving while he’s not perched on them.

Fun Fact: Anthony and Martin have learned to keep their distance whenever Sora’s let out of his PokéBall due to an incident of when they thought it was a “good” idea to pull at his ears, getting blasted by a Boomburst in retaliation. A lesson learnt the hard way about why it is unwise to bully a Dragon-Type.