Sophocles's Vikavolt: Difference between revisions

In ''[[SM026|So Long, Sophocles!]]'', {{Ash}} was looking for a farewell present for Sophocles due to the latter supposedly moving away soon, and decided to go look for a Charjabug at {{Rotom}}'s suggestion. With the help of {{AP|Pikachu}}, {{AP|Rockruff}}, and {{AP|Litten}}, he was able to track one down. Litten and Rockruff dug it up from its place underground. Charjabug shocked Ash as he impetuously reached to grab it from its burrow. After recuperating, Ash and his {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} managed to capture it in a cage. He brought it along with him to Sophocles's farewell party, where he let it out of the cage and showed it off to Sophocles.

Sophocles was surprised by Ash's kindness and sent out {{TP|Sophocles|Togedemaru}} to battle Charjabug. Charjabug was able to deflect one {{m|Zing Zap}} and fight back with {{m|Discharge}}. Togedemaru managed to weaken Charjabug enough for Sophocles to feel comfortable enough throwing a {{i|Poké Ball}} at it. Sophocles expressed so much excitement at the prospect of {{pkmn2|caught|catching}} Charjabug that he nearly fell over while throwing the Ball, and expressed even more excitement at its capture, soon admitting that he was just moving to another house down the street.

[[File:Sophocles Ash and Kiawe winning Charjabug Race.png|thumb|250px|As a Charjabug, after winning the Charjabug race]]

In ''[[SM041|Mounting an Electrifying Charge!]]'', Sophocles decided to enter the [[Charjabug race]], a race where Charjabug are fit into electric-powered cars and made to drive through an obstacle-filled racecourse with the aid of a three-man team. Working together with Ash and {{an|Kiawe}}, Sophocles formed the Sophocles Lab team, with him working as the team director, Kiawe working as the team mechanic, and Ash working as Charjabug's "support runner", running alongside Charjabug during the race and helping it to get past obstacles. During the race, Sophocles struck a rivalry with [[Horacio]]'s Red Comet team and his {{Shiny}} {{TP|Horacio|Charjabug}}. Thanks to their constant support to Charjabug and a little creativity in the face of obstacles, the Sophocles Lab team eventually won the race, winning a year's supply of Charjabug-themed merchandise as a prize.

[[File:Sophocles defeating Lusamine Milotic.png|thumb|250px|left|As a Charjabug, teaming up with Togedemaru to defeat Lusamine's Milotic]]

In ''[[SM054|10,000,000 Reasons to Fight!]]'', Charjabug and Togedemaru used Discharge and Zing Zap, respectively, on {{an|Lusamine}}'s Milotic. Although Milotic appeared to have been defeated by this move, Nihilego made it get back up and continue battling. The battle ended when Ash and Pikachu performed {{m|10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt}} to defeat Nihilego.

In ''[[SM104|That's Some Spicy Island Research!]]'', Sophocles revealed that he planned to evolve Charjabug and learned from [[Nurse Joy]] that he can do so over at [[Vast Poni Canyon]]. During their stay on [[Poni Island]], Sophocles and Charjabug trained to prepare for Charjabug's upcoming [[Evolution]]. Sophocles finally decided to visit Vast Poni Canyon in ''[[SM106|Evolving Research!]]'' and was accompanied by Ash, Kiawe, and [[Hapu]]. He attempted to let Charjabug battle some wild Pokémon, but was prevented from doing so by Ash, Kiawe, and Togedemaru, who battled the Pokémon themselves. The group then encountered Horacio, alongside his brothers, who was also planning to evolve his Charjabug and was looking for a legendary Bug Stone said to evolve all {{type|Bug}} Pokémon. Sophocles and Horacio took part in a race to see whose Charjabug would evolve first. After making their way through a cave, Charjabug and Sophocles witnessed Horacio and his Charjabug crossing a rope bridge, which soon collapsed beneath them. This triggered Sophocles's Charjabug to evolve into {{p|Vikavolt}}, giving it the ability to rescue Horacio and his Charjabug.  

In ''[[SM123|A Fiery Training Camp Trick!]]'', Sophocles and Vikavolt trained to use their new [[Z-Move]] together, using Vikavolt's newly learned {{m|Signal Beam}} as its basis, but due to Sophocles failing to do the correct pose and the lack of sync between the two, they failed to pull off the move during a training battle with Kiawe. To help Sophocles master his Z-Move, Kiawe invited him and Ash for a boot camp near [[Paniola Ranch|his family ranch]]. At the camp, both Kiawe and Ash kept offering advice that didn't make any sense to Sophocles. He wanted to give up, but seeing Vikavolt's determination, he decided to tough it out and keep on trying. Later, while being left alone by Ash and Kiawe, Sophocles was attacked by a wild {{p|Crawdaunt}}. At first, Vikavolt was at a disadvantage, as Crawdaunt kept avoiding its attacks, causing Sophocles to get discouraged. However, Vikavolt's unrelenting spirit reinvigorated Sophocles's spirit as well, quickly turning the battle in their favor. Seeing his Buginium Z glowing, Sophocles and Vikavolt finally performed a successful {{m|Savage Spin-Out}}, defeating Crawdaunt. Soon Kiawe returned and revealed that he had actually asked the Crawdaunt to attack him on purpose, as he had believed that this kind of situation would allow Sophocles to master the Z-Move, which it had done.

In ''[[SM133|Battling on the Wing!]]'', Vikavolt was used to battle [[Kiawe's Charizard]] in the second round. By dodging its opponent's attacks with agile movements, Vikavolt was able to hit Charizard with a Zap Cannon, leaving it stunned long enough for Sophocles and Vikavolt to use Savage Spin-Out on it. The battle continued in the [[SM134|next episode]], where Charizard was able to escape Savage Spin-Out with its fire. Sophocles attempted to defeat Charizard by using Vikavolt's newly learned {{m|Wild Charge}}, but failed when Charizard used {{m|Fire Punch}} to block the attack. Charizard then used {{m|Supersonic Skystrike}} against Vikavolt, and although Vikavolt tried to counter with another Wild Charge, it was eventually overpowered and defeated, eliminating Sophocles from the tournament.

[[File:Charjabug Togedemaru.png|thumb|250px|As a Charjabug, comforting Togedemaru]]

When Ash tried to first catch Vikavolt as a Charjabug, it electrocuted Ash after he impulsively grabbed it, showing its defensive nature. However, it was also a weak battler: when it battled Sophocles's Togedemaru, it was quickly defeated after using only one {{m|Discharge}} attack. In addition to being weak in battle and relying on hiding as a defensive technique whilst living in the wild, it initially seemed to be a bit unsure about itself and its abilities, as evidenced by its reluctance to run on a running wheel, until further encouraged by its Trainer. However, due to the training done in preparation for the Charjabug race, it apparently gained more self-confidence and a deeper connection to its Trainer, happily hugging Sophocles after winning the race.

Vikavolt often demonstrates a close bond with Togedemaru. In ''[[SM067|Love at First Twirl!]]'', it was shown physically comforting Togedemaru when she became sad over {{AP|Pikachu}}'s absence, and later celebrated by nuzzling against her after their victory against {{an|Lusamine}}'s {{p|Milotic}} in ''[[SM054|10,000,000 Reasons to Fight!]]''. Much like Togedemaru, it shows compassion by using its electricity to calm down its Trainer whenever they are in a dark location, as shown in ''[[SM106|Evolving Research!]]'' and ''[[SM119|A High-Speed Awakening!]]''. In ''[[SM069|Rise and Shine, Starship!]]'', it was shown to have the ability to send sound waves in order to communicate to a group of nearby {{p|Grubbin}}. In ''[[SM104|That's Some Spicy Island Research!]]'', it was shown to love the taste of [[Poni Island]] radishes. Since its evolution, it enjoys giving rides to smaller Pokémon like Togedemaru and [[Sandy]]. Vikavolt can also be easily distracted, as seen in ''[[SM119|A High-Speed Awakening!]]'', where it went to drink some sap from a tree during its training with Sophocles.