1
"Yes, I know, a change of weather would be something," said Liam and reached down under the bench to give his Liepard a gentle head rub. The reward for this caring gesture was a loving bite into his fingers and claws sinking into his forearm. "Silly cat, don't worry, soon we are in Hau'Oli-City, get of this boat and somewhere warm and dry, promised." This seemed to mollify the feline Pokémon under his seat as he pulled his arm up again and brushed the tiny specks of blood off.
Leaning over the backrest, the Trainer stared into the distance, through tall waves crashing against the bow of the ferry, and surf splashing against the windows. Somewhere in the distance he thought he could make out some lights, but with the heaving and pitching of the ship it was hard to make out any details. "Not even a lighthouse? What kind of island is this?"
"That's Melemele Island! They have integrated a new electronic beacon for navigation, it disturbs the wild Pokémon less than a dazzlingly bright light sweeping the horizon every minute or so," came a prompt answer from an overly friendly passenger. "It's really great how they try to keep light pollution at a minimum, of course they can't do it everywhere, a total black-out during night would be the death for tourism…" This was the point where Liam just nodded and shut the random trivia out, concentrating on the journey.
Thankfully the other passenger was soon interrupted by the captain of the ferry, announcing the imminent arrival. "Dear tourists; please don't forget to let the terminal staff check your Pokémon for diseases. The Alolan Islands are far from the main lands, thus certain diseases might be completely foreign and could potentially wipe out entire populations of native Pokémon." Liam couldn't believe this, but it came even worse than that. "The Pokémon-Center near the harbor terminal has accommodations for Trainers and Pokémon in need of quarantine." A short jingle of some sort followed, before the captain wished everyone aboard a great vacation.
"My ass…" Liam cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Okay, come back, you lazy fluffball," he then said and pulled out a battered, claw-marked Poké Ball and held it low, between his legs. "Get in, you know the game." He kept his fingers well away from the central button which promptly received a new claw-mark, followed by a brief flash of light as Liepard got into her ball all on its own. "Good kitty." Storing the ball at his belt and picking up his backpack, Liam got up just as the ferry docked at the harbor, warm, orange light welcoming the weary traveler into the central terminal. His goal was the storage unit of the ferry, though. On his way he put on a high visibility jacket he had found earlier and joined the dockers unloading the cargo, mainly the luggage of the tourists. This earned some strange looks, but he worked efficiently and quickly, so no one, neither the ferry's nor the harbor's crew asked him, taking him for a member of the other team.
This way of getting around the harbor control took an hour longer than the official way, but he skipped the quarantine checks, something he was keen to avoid, mainly for the second Pokéball on his belt. Not that this particular Pokémon was a carrier of plagues, he just wanted to avoid the attention.
With the rain having cleared enough to let the moon brighten the early night, Liam then received an entirely different and unexpected kind of attention.
It started harmlessly with some rap music playing from a smartphone, something he had seen and heard many times before in the back alleys of Castelia City.
"Yo, man! Whatcha doin' here in our docks? Don'tcha know ya have ta pay a fee to pass?" This cringe worthy greeting was enough to confirm his suspicions about street gangs here. They had everything, bandanas in front of their faces to hide their identity, muscle shirts to show their lack of what they should reveal, and even the inevitable bling in form of a skull badge, everything almost, but not quite matching like a customized uniform. They even showed a resemblance of tactics, while his attention was on the perp in front of him, two more had snuck up behind, cutting off his line of retreat.
"What kind of fee?" Liam queried, honestly curious what they wanted. "Can't help you with money; spend my last bucks to get here."
"Nah, we ain't not lookin' for ya cash. Just give me yo balls and walk away, 'kay?" Liam hadn't quite predicted this request, yet it wasn't much of a surprise, he had met this kind of gang before.
"Okay, okay, I'll give you my Pokémon. Just let me go in peace, okay?" He hoped his voice had the right kind of tremor to indicate his fear of them. He then slowly brushed his shirt aside to reveal the belt pouches. With exaggerated care Liam then pulled out the two Pokéballs he had with him. Holding them in his open palm in an offering gesture, Liam flinched away as the first gang member snatched them away.
"Team Skull, we're the best!" He shouted and made a run for it, shortly followed by the other two Grunts to leave Liam lost and alone.
2
Following their lead Liam soon found an abandoned part of the cargo harbor. Low lights and rather more litter than usually confirmed his suspicions. A faint vibration in his pocket announced the call he had been waiting for and so he stepped into an even darker passage between two buildings to receive the call.
"Yes sir, I have arrived. It just took a bit of improvisation, but I am sure I made it without too much trouble. I have also made… 'contact' with the local grunts, they have both my Pokémon." He then laughed darkly. "Yes, it has been years since he had been free, so I guess he will be rather cranky. Yes, I will try and keep collateral damage at a minimum, don't want to alert the police just yet. Talk to you later." Canceling the call, he became aware of cursing and running feet.
"And there comes number one," he muttered to himself and put his sap gloves on after cracking his knuckles. Now all he had to do was to wait for the runner to come closer.
A few moments later his Liepard ran past the alley Liam was hiding in, stopping to clean her paws within sight and easy reach; it had baited the Team Skull grunt who came running and panting after it. "Gotcha, ya stupid cat!" he gasped and crossed the last meters with a more sedate pace. "Now just keep sittin'…"
"And you start talking," Liam growled as he stepped out of the alley and into the main street. "Who the frak are you and who are you working for?" Unlike during their first meeting, Liam now showed no sign of panic or fear, just utter and complete dominance, instead it was the time for the grunt to panic. Liam could see the grunt thinking about fight or flight.
As it turned out, he took both options, first running for a few steps, where he stumbled over a length of pipe, then fight as he picked it up to defend himself. "Don't come closer! Or… or… I will hit you!" Even a first glance was enough for Liam to tell him this person had never used anything like a pipe for a fight. The swings were too wide and uncontrolled, and while they made whooshing sounds, it was all too slow. As Liam closed the distance, the grunt did so, too, attacking with an overhead strike which would have broken a skull with ease. Unfortunately for the grunt Liam knew how to counter such things, simply by taking away the speed before it could build up! The much more experienced fighter made a quick step forward, and his arm shot up, grasping the wrist before it could even begin the downward arc. The other hand wrapped around the grunt's throat, pushing him firmly into a wall. "Don't make me repeat my question. Who are you and what are your group's plans?"
Whatever the choked grunt had to say was drowned out by loud noises containing the splintering of wood, a high pitched scream and an almost infrasonic roar. If anything, this shocked the grunt even more than Liam's attack, leaving him unable to answer with more than one of the most basic bodily reactions to fear. Liam, on the other hand, just smiled in a rather nasty way. "So, you opened a Pokéball without knowing what's inside in a small room? Stupid…" After he took his hand of the man's throat, he picked the length of pipe from his hand and tossed it away, before letting him go, not expecting further trouble from him.
Finding the source of the noise didn't prove to be a challenge, he just had to follow the trail of shredded pieces of hut, so he could see the reason: a huge Pokémon, almost twice the height of Liam and almost five times as long as he was tall. Ice coated its head like a mask, encased the wing-like limbs and formed around its short tail. It roared again and swung its head around, hitting one of the fleeing thieves in the back to send him flying across the dark road before he hit a lamp post. The third grunt was crawling away, bleeding from scratches along his head and forearms, dragging one leg behind which seemed to have been badly broken.
Unconcerned by the beast, Liam just walked over to the injured grunt and knelt down in front of him, one knee on a wrist. He reached down, yanking the bandana off the head to get a good grip on the guy's hair. "Now, tell me why you stole my Pokémon and I will call an ambulance." The first answer he received was the classic one, begging for help and mercy, thus he repeated his question. Before the grunt could reply, his moaning turned into renewed screaming; being trapped for several years inside a Pokéball could leave you rather famished.
"What? I mean… Seriously? Spit it out again, you don't know where it has been!" Liam groaned and stood up, but he was too late. "I'm surrounded by idiots! Why aren't you listening to me? I get it, I have been away for too long, but it was hardly my fault. Apart from getting caught, of course," he added under his breath. "Hrimnir, now stay calm, I can hear sirens. Just let me find your Ball and we are off." Suiting his words with action, Liam started to search through the wreckage. "And where has that lazy cat gone to?"
It didn't take Liam too long to find his two Pokéballs; they had rolled into the open after Kyurem's forceful exit. "Sorry, but you have to get back for now. I'll release you once we are in the wild. This town ain't safe enough for you." With the Dragon-type back inside its Dusk Ball, Liam now just had to find his Liepard. The sirens were getting close; he didn't have much time and didn't want to leave his oldest partner alone, either.
After a few minutes of frantic searching he found his Liepard, curled up inside a cardboard box, purring softly. "Lazy cat," he sighed and nudged the box with a foot, just to announce his presence in a more direct way. "Up you go, we have to leave." Despite this warning, Liepard didn't move, just glared at her trainer. "Now, c'mon! I don't want to put you back into your ball, so come." Even though he said otherwise, he had the battered Pokéball in his hand, ready to use it. This encouragement seemed to be enough and the cat-Pokémon uncurled, stretched out and revealed a small bundle of black, red and white fur, a kitten! Liam sighed, but reached down to pick the smaller feline Pokémon up to examine it briefly. "Okay, I'll keep it, but now we have to leave!"
3
Keeping this small, strangely colored kitten turned out to be a problem, as Liam soon realized. Moments after he had picked it up by the scruff of its neck, he felt an intense heat at his fingers and palm, as if something was burning them! He dropped the feline Pokémon with a yelp and blew cold air across his burned hand, grumbling. "Just what are you?" About to leave, he saw the look his Liepard was giving him.
"What? It just burned me! How should I… okay, I'll think of something…" In his idiosyncratic way of chatting with his Pokémon, who didn't answer with words, only with mimic and gestures, Liam had solved the problem of transportation. Unwilling to use a Pokéball just yet, he buttoned his shirt up and stuffed the hem into his pants to create a pouch; then he carefully scooped the small cat up to place it inside his shirt. This seemed to be a better solution, at least for the kitten which promptly started to milk tread, searching for the most comfortable position.
With a grunt, Liam motioned his Liepard to follow him, it was time to leave the harbor and find a place to learn more about his new pet.
Despite the need to dodge the police, Liam eventually made it into Hau'oli City and to the local Pokémon Center. It was a rather large, roundish building, two floors at least, with a roof loosely resembling a Pokéball. The basic layout inside, with the counter straight ahead from the entrance, was similar to what he knew from Unova, there even was a market; just the café was a bit of a surprise. This late at night there was no queue, Liam just had to wait at the door for the nightshift nurse to open it.
After a greeting and a quick explanation why he had come this late, along with a brief chat about his shiny Liepard, Liam reached into his shirt to pull the snoozing kitten and placed it on the counter. "I… kind of found this near the docks and wondered, what can you tell me about it? I have just arrived here and was hoping to find out more. I also need to update my Pokédex, first time I've visited these islands."
What misgivings the male nurse had quickly evaporated as he saw the Pokémon, the kind itself was well-known to him, he even had seen shiny ones, but this oddly colored one was something he had never seen before. "That is a Litten, very popular among the kids and teens starting their first Island Challenge. They are serious Pokémon, but with a heart of gold, or so they say. It's a Fire-type and can be rather a handful."
Liam listened thoughtfully, then snorted and shook his head. "A Fire-type? That explains my burned hand… tried to pick it up and this Litten didn't like it. Anyway, could you please check it over?" The nurse agreed and put the cat Pokémon on a heated tray to make it feel more comfortable, then walked into the back and examination room. Meanwhile Liam was left alone with a rather happy and chatty flower garland floating on a current of air he couldn't feel.
"And what are you supposed to be?" As he had expected, he didn't receive a proper, understandable answer and so his old, battered Pokédex had to come to the rescue. After turning it on for the first time in several years, it connected with his storage-system and the Internet to update for next minutes. During this distraction, the lei-like Pokémon had dropped its flower garland over Liam's hand; the balms secreted from the blossoms soothing the pain of the burn in such a way, the trainer hadn't even realized it. A brief moment of panic coursed through his system as a tingling feeling countered the pulsating sting. Before he could swat the Pokémon away, his panic subsided as the pheromones of the balm reached his nose and brain. All his worries and problems, his anxieties and sorrows drained away, blown into the wind by a serotonin high.
The spell ended as the nurse came back and the lei-Pokémon returned to its trainer to wrap itself around his wrist. "Sir, I have checked your Litten through. It is undernourished, had its tail broken about three months earlier, probably around his hatch day, and some parasites are in his stomach, but nothing too serious. With proper food and care he should be a great partner for you and your Liepard." Before the still dazed Liam could stop the nurse, he carefully put the Litten in his new trainer's lap and bent down to scratch the Liepard's head and ears in just the right spot for it to relax and not attack.
"Took me quite some time to find that spot," Liam said with an approving nod, "a lot of time, and many scratches. She's a grumpy one, especially at her age."
The nurse, Joe, nodded and continued the patting and scratching, pulling his hand away in the nick of time as the Liepard decided it wanted to play. "I can see she has been through a lot of battles." His fingers trailed along the scars under the purplish-red fur.
An awkward moment of silence followed as neither of them knew what to say.
"So, do you have any place to stay?" Joe asked, idly catching Liepard's paws and releasing them again.
Liam shook his head and looked around, then nodded to the doors on either side of the terminal. "Can I grab a nap here? I can pay for a night."
4
The next morning began with the usual heavy feeling of a large feline resting on Liam's chest, along with an additional weight on his belly, the spot his Litten had claimed. "Thank Arceus. Hrimnir isn't joining you two… or I'd be a pancake… now off you go, you lazy fluffbutts." It took more than gentle words, and cost him some new scratch marks on his belly, but eventually Liam managed to get up and do his morning workout. An activity watched impassively by Liepard and augmented by the Litten sitting on his shoulders during the push-ups.
"Now that we are friends," he told the Fire-type during breakfast, "you need a name: Lithia. How does that sound to you?" The trainer then looked thoughtfully to his oldest partner. "Why have I never come up with a name for you? Oh, right, you won't listen to them… at least you listen to my commands in battle." After he took a sip of his coffee, he leaned back, closed his eyes and listen to the chatting around him in the slowly filling Pokémon Center. The café was the most popular spot and a small queue had formed, but most of the topics he overheard were uninteresting. Most people talked about some sports event, a couple mentioned the calamity at the harbor from last night; Liam was pleased to hear the police was still fishing for clues what had caused the destruction of the warehouse; and two teachers from an evening school in town talking about one of their junior students.
"He has beaten one of the best of my senior students, you know that?"
"Yes, but his attitude… he is in my class after all, and he is so rude! Battling everyone and so far no one has managed to beat him! I hope someone will teach him some humility, for I can't do it, he won't listen to me."
"I wonder why the headmaster isn't doing something about that attitude!"
A laughing snort answered this question. "His parents are rich enough to buy the school. Mike is just too afraid to do something in case they stop funding the school… It's a private project after all. Anyway, I have to run or I am late at the store. See you in the evening!"
While the idea of a strong trainer, no matter what age, was intriguing, his instincts told Liam, this kid would be a total brat. Still, it was worth further investigation. For now he had to wait and hopefully learn more about the local folkways.
Most of the morning was spent inside the Pokémon-Center, browsing the web and learning more about his newest partner. After a brief chat with the day-time nurse, Liam was directed to the Tourist Bureau where all his questions about the Alola region could be answered; he guessed they just wanted him to leave.
Following the instructions led Liam through the shopping district and its many distractions. Not for the trainer but the two feline Pokémon accompanying him; Liepard kept herself within sight of Liam, but the smaller Litten was scampering off every now and then to steal some food from street vendors. It didn't take the trainer too long before he caught Lithia in the act.
Retreating into an alley, Liam bent down to glare at the Litten. "And now it's time for your first lesson," he growled after having paid the vendor for the stolen food. "No stealing, that only gets you into trouble." Then he smiled and patted Litten's head, surprised and pleased as it pressed her head into his palm. "And since you are still following me, it's time for you to be a proper part of my team. I've bought this ball just for you." Reaching to his belt, he took out a black and yellow Pokéball: a Luxury Ball! "Such a unique color scheme like yours deserves an equally special Ball." He held the Ball on his palm and gave the Litten an encouraging nod, a gesture mimicked by the Liepard. Hesitating briefly, Lithia then reached out and poked the activator with her paw. A flash of light and a bit of wiggling later and the Litten was caught, confirming Liam's suspicion that it had been abandoned by the breeder.
"Now that's a nice catch, cousin! You have a very interesting and unique technique!" A cheerful voice called out from the main street.
5
Liam turned around slowly to face the speaker, somewhat puzzled by being called 'cousin'. As far as he knew he had no cousins, certainly not in Alola. Instead of the half-expected distant relative a tall, tanned and rather well build male stood in the entrance of the alley, the white lab coat unbuttoned to reveal a bare six-pack: an Alolan Professor.
A professor who seemed to be as puzzled as Liam was, after they were finally on eye-level once Liam was standing again. "Ah, not a cousin," the professor laughed and offered a hand for shaking. "I'm Professor Kukui. For a moment I thought you are one of my students."
"And you teach your cousins?" Liam asked after introducing himself, not yet sure what to make of this rather unusual professor.
"Ah, no. Although I could! It's just something we say here, cousin to younger ones and they reply with uncle." He shrugged with a good natured chuckle. "We are all a big family here, you see?" Liam clearly didn't, and so Kukui went on. "That trust your Litten has shown you is quite something, as is the love your… Is that a Liepard? They aren't native here."
Liam nodded, scratching his Liepard's head gently between the ears. "We're from Unova, yes. Just visiting, exploring new terrain, that kind of thing. Extended vacations, if you want."
"Ah, wonderful! Well, brother, if you want to see more, why don't you come to Iki Town? We have a little festival and tournament tonight, to see off a couple of kids on their way through the Island Challenge and to offer one more person the same chance."
"What's an Island Challenge? Something like the Leagues on the main land?" Whatever this Challenge was, Liam wanted to do it, maybe it would indeed be challenging.
"Yes," agreed the Professor. "A bit like the Leagues, just without the gyms and badges, but you'll hear more about it in the evening. Iki Town is just up the hill, follow the main street to the east and after the School you just go uphill. It's a bit, but you'll manage. See you later, brother!"
Watching Kukui walk away, Liam shook his head and chuckled softly. After a short phone call to his employer to convey the news about the invitation and the nature of his newest Pokémon, Liam set off to find a place for lunch and other ways to waste time until afternoon where he wanted to visit the Trainer School.
It was not hard for Liam to find distraction; the shopping mall was large enough to get lost in, something his Litten proved rather soon. While her trainer was busy with finding a collar for her, Lithia had wandered off to explore and steal some more food, mainly out of habit, not because she was hungry. This time, though, the Liepard had followed the Fire-kitten to carry it back by the scruff of her neck before their trainer had even noticed they were gone.
Finding the right collar for Lithia took almost an hour; most of that time was spent with explaining why one should be worn by Pokémon running along with their trainers instead of being in their Pokéballs. In the end Lithia decided to go for a bandana almost matching Liepard's fur colors. With that problem solved, the trio visited a restaurant to eat and watch some indoor battles between small Pokémon: a Pikachu battled a Geodude.
After consulting his 'dex Liam realized how little he knew about the Pokémon unique to the Alolan Islands. "Ground and Electric, that's something new," he mused as he left the restaurant, Lithia resting on his shoulders and Liepard walking around and in between his legs. As soon as they left the mall, the Pokémon swapped placed, the Litten dropping off Liam's shoulder to walk around his feet, while Liepard pounced onto his back, almost knocking him over.
"You fat cat, get off me," the Trainer growled, bent over under the weight of his backpack topped by the feline predator. Despite the order, Liepard remained on Liam's shoulders, curled around his neck like a short-furred, luxurious and rather heavy scarf. "Should've known it, what one does, the other has to do as well…"
Liam reached the school in the early evening. While he blamed his Liepard to have distracted him, he actually had gotten lost and had to ask for the way a couple of times; actually rather enjoying the warmth and fluff provided by his oldest partner. Coming late turned out to be better than arriving early, as things turned out: all the students and teachers were on the battle field. Smirking, Liam knelt down to dig through his backpack and past the Litten which instantly occupied it for comfort. Soon he had found what he had been looking for: a small, clear white crystal. Attaching it to Liepard's collar, he then casually sauntered across the field to watch the battles going on.
Teachers were calling for the trainers to be more active and cheer their Pokémon on, while the watching crowd was already cheering, taking notes about strategies or both things at the same time; the atmosphere was good and reminded Liam of the training days back in Unova. Even more so as he heard a young, bratty voice calling out for him; there was always one like that.
"What's that Pokémon? That's not native to Alola, so I have to find more about it. Battle me, now!" A short, chubby kid waltzed over to Liam, pushing a few other pupils out of his way. "A cat, doesn't matter, my Raticate will eat it for breakfast!"
"More like dinner, too late for breakfast," Liam returned and sat down on a bench to watch the battles with his Liepard resting on his lap. "And I don't battle kids like you," he added dismissively, knowing this would only make the kid mad. True to form, the boy fumed.
"You should know I am the best trainer here in the school and even on Melemele Island!" The older trainer just nodded and made a dismissive gesture, having heard boosting like that before all too often. "I challenge you to a battle!" The boy suddenly shouted as soon as one of the battle fields was cleared. Liam looked at the boy, then the teachers and oldest students, close to laugh loud at their expressions; embarrassment, annoyance and resignation. The principal nodded briefly, confirming the challenge was legal.
"So, you are the best what, student? I am scared!" The words didn't match the voice at all: it was mocking and superior, resulting in a quick change of skin color on the boy, from a light blushing of exercise to the puce of anger. "Your rat against my Liepard? As you wish." Liam made an inviting gesture and his Liepard strolled into the middle of the field where she sat down to lick her paws, showing as much arrogance as her trainer.
"That's it!" The boy cried out and threw his Pokeball, releasing an equally chubby Raticate; another Alolan variant according to Liam's 'dex.
"Mind your manners!" The principal shouted as he stepped into the center of the field, obviously the referee for this match. "Introduce yourself to your challenger and show some respect." While the rebuke could be for both, the principal's eyes were fixed on the boy.
"Yes, sir… I am Clarence Ira, the future Alolan champion!"
"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Liam Wilson, quarter-finalist of the Unovan Pokémon League, winner of the '11 Unovan Contest Supreme and some more meaningless titles," Liam replied. "But don't you worry, I haven't battled in years, so you might have a chance," he continued his taunting.
In the second after the principal had left the field and opened the battle, Clarence ordered his Raticate to use Quick Attack, but Liam and his Liepard were faster. "Fake Out." As fast as the battle had started, so quickly it was over again. The Raticate covered the distance in an instant, ready to tackle Liepard, but the feline Pokémon kept her cool and just waited to swipe her paw across the chubby cheeks of the rat. A brief glow had connected the Liepard's collar with her claws as the Normal Gem activated to further boost the first strike attack and sending the target into the dust, bleeding badly and knocked-out. After a stunned moment of silence the principal called the result and Liepard padded back to her trainer, curling up around his feet.
"My win," Liam stated smoothly and bent down to rub his Pokémon's head and neck gently, while keeping his eyes on the boy.
"What? Nothing is faster than my Raticate," Clarence stammered in disbelief, unable to comprehend the reality in front of his eyes. With a shaking hand he called his defeated Pokémon back and pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Round two! Show me the best you've got!"
Before the referee could stop the fight, Liam locked eyes with him, nodding to accept this challenge as well.
"You won't like my best, trust me… you really not gonna like it at all… This place might be a bit too small for my best, but you'll get what you've asked for. Hrimnir, it is time to feast!"
6