A/N: Completely sorry for not mentioning this earlier but I want to clarify that you probably won't see any updates on the story over the weekend. I'm usually busy during that time so my access to this site is fairly limited. On rare occasions, I'll be able to update during the weekend, but like I said that's only on rare occasions. Anyways, let's get Chapter 2 started!
Side-note: If none of you guys heard the news yet, there's a Pokémon Direct announced for 6AM PST tomorrow morning! There's lots of speculation that the Direct will reveal the long awaited Gen 8 (we'll definitely get the logo reveals, possibly even starters and the cover legendaries if we're extra lucky) :)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of their characters. This is merely a fan story written using the template Game Freak has provided with Pokémon.
Rated T for: Mild adult language, violence, and drug usage
CHAPTER TWO
THE FESTIVAL OF NEW BEGINNINGS
"Bag." Check.
"Hat." Check.
"Trainer belt." Check.
"Singe." No check. "Singe?"
"Mrowr!" The small Fire-type purred and scurried out from under Ailey's bed.
"What in the world were you doing down there, buddy?" Ailey teased her Pokémon. "We've gotta get ready and go soon!"
Ailey stood in front of the mirror and took a second to make sure she looked good enough for the festival. She had cleaned her favorite orange flowery top and white shorts after getting them sweaty the day before during her Yungoos "attack". She made sure to put on the new hat that her mom bought her while she was receiving her starter Pokémon, a small straw sunhat that was decorated with a red flower on top. It rested comfortably on her head and gave room for her strawberry-blonde pigtails to breathe. Finally, she slung her large yellow satchel around her shoulder, clipped on her trainer belt, and gave herself a wink with her sky blue eyes.
Let's do this, Ailey thought with a wide grin. Even though she received her starter Pokémon yesterday, today was the day that she would officially be a licensed Pokémon Trainer.
A deluge of emotions cascaded through her mind. Not only was she going to go on her very own Pokémon journey, she was going to do it on the tropical paradise of Alola! She'd always dreamt of raising a team of various different Pokémon so she could learn how to study them and become a Pokémon researcher herself. Growing up in the Kanto region meant she was very familiar with the vast studies of the famous Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak, but she'd never actually had the chance to meet with him herself. She had a few ideas on where she wanted to focus her research expertise, but nothing would help her home in on an idea like raising her own team of Pokémon.
Ailey was interested in battling as well, but nothing gave her a rush quite like learning how each Pokémon got its power. She decided that when she finally figured out what combination of Pokémon would make the most powerful team, she would start to take battling a little more seriously. Traveling around an entirely new region with lots of Pokémon she had never seen before would be the perfect opportunity for her to begin her research.
"Ailey, sweetie!" She heard her mother call out from the living room. "Your friend Hau is here!"
It's time.
Ailey took a deep breath, gave herself one last look in the mirror, and dashed into the living room. There, she spotted a smiling Hau who was already packed and ready for the festival. By his side was his trusty Rowlet, who seemed to be acquainting well with her mom's Meowth.
"I'm ready, are you?" Ailey asked her future battle partner. "I've been itching to do this already."
Hau grinned wide. "You bet! Me and Rowlet have been counting the minutes."
"Then what're we waiting for? Mom, you'll come to the festival later, right?"
"Oh, don't you worry kiddos!" Ailey's mom answered. "I'm just going to get a few boxes unpacked with Meowth here and then we'll head right up to cheer you guys on!"
"Last one to Iki Town is a loser!" Hau shouted at the top of his lungs and sprinted out of the door.
"You'll never get there before me!" Ailey shouted in response and took off behind him.
Ailey and Hau didn't have the energy to spring all the way up the hill to Iki Town, so they slowed down by some tall grass and palm trees to catch their breaths. The hot Alolan air would take some time for Ailey to get used to, but she liked the way it felt on her skin when she wasn't busy running. Even though the evening sunset was beginning and the sky was painted a deep orange, all around them wild Pokémon were still crawling in the grass or fluttering through the air. So many new Pokémon that Ailey had never seen before!
"Wow, Alola really does have a lot of different Pokémon, huh?" Ailey panted, trying to keep track of all the different Pokémon she could spot. She saw several different bird and bug Pokémon in addition to those stupid Yungoos that were completely foreign to her home region of Kanto. "We never had anything like these in Kanto. Well we had Caterpie and the occasional Ledyba that crossed over from Johto, but most of the Pokémon here are completely new to me!"
"Yeah, Alola totally has the coolest Pokémon in the world," Hau stated, a proud smirk wiped on his face. "Most of the species here can't be found anywhere else."
"I'm just trying to let it all sink in, you know?"
The two of them sat under a tall palm tree and took in all the sights. They occasional saw a few villagers make their way up to Iki Town to watch the festival, but they were more focused on the Pokémon around them. The Alolan Pokémon were definitely more energetic than the ones Ailey saw in Kanto, and she figured that was just natural in the tropical paradise.
She looked to Hau to see if he was ready to continue the walk towards Iki Town, but she could see that he was lost in thought. "What's on your mind?"
"I just... I just thought of an idea." Hau answered softly. "But I'm not sure if it's something we can do yet."
Ailey glanced at him in perplexion. "You had an idea? Tell me!"
Hau didn't initially answer her and instead removed his fiery orange backpack. After fumbling inside of it for a bit, he pulled out a handful of small orbs. Ailey already knew what those were... Poké Balls!
"Are those your Pokémon?" Ailey asked in awe. How did Hau have so many Pokémon already?
"Oh! No, definitely not!" Hau grinned. "These are empty Poké Balls. I have ten here that my gramps gave me as a gift last night. My idea was that I take five, you take five, and whaddaya say we try and see how many Pokémon we can catch? I haven't ever tried to catch a Pokémon on my own, and I don't know if you have, but I figured it would be cool to try."
"Wait... really?" Ailey's eyes lit up. Her mind flashed back to all those times in Kanto when her mother would show her how to catch a Pokémon. While she'd never actually tried it for herself, she definitely picked up on some of the motions she saw her mother do. "I definitely think I'm ready to at least try this."
"Yeah! We can even use them in our battle today, provided we keep it even." Hau smiled brightly. He handed her half of the Poké Balls he pulled out. "Actually, why don't we twist the rules a little bit?"
"T-Twist?"
"Hmm..." Hau looked at the sky in thought. "Let's say whoever catches the most Pokémon gets to... call the first move in the battle!"
Ailey smirked. Growing up in the Kanto region where battling and capturing were always popular meant she had competition in her blood. "That's actually a genius idea, let's get to it!"
Nodding in unison, the pair stood up and began scouring around the area separately for the coolest wild Pokémon they could find. Ailey was definitely going to be the owner of a full Pokémon team, she just wondered if Hau would be able to keep up with her!
Ailey already had her eyes set on a cute insect Pokémon with two large orange mandibles that she assumed was a Bug-type. It was innocently crawling around the pair when they were sitting down and taking a break, and Bug-types would be the best Pokémon for her to research first. They were so weak in their base forms, but they gained power rapidly and were staples on lots of Kanto Pokémon teams due to that. She remembered seeing so many Ace Trainers in Kanto using Pokémon like Beedrill and Butterfree, Pokémon that were completely useless before they evolved but quickly turned into formidable teammates.
Knowing that Bug Pokémon had a crippling weakness to fiery attacks, she brought Singe out of his Poké Ball. Before even trying to battle the small Pokémon, she attempted to coerce the small Pokémon into joining her team by playing around with Litten. Ailey threw a Poké Ball at its back when it started playing around with the two of them but it broke free without even shaking once, destroying the Poké Ball in the process. It looked back at Ailey with sharp annoyance in its eyes.
She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "This little one isn't so easy to catch. Right, Singe?"
"Mrowr..."
"Yeah, I could have thrown that Poké Ball a lot better. Maybe it wants to battle us?"
"Mrowr!"
"Okay!" Ailey nodded. "Let's show this little guy what we can do! Singe, use Ember!"
Singe purred and shot out a flurry of small fireballs at the small insect Pokémon. It looked fairly young, so it didn't have the speed or the experience to process the fact that fireballs meant danger! The Litten's attack hit the bug Pokémon dead-on and it scuttled around in circles.
Oohh... we shook it up a little too much... Ailey thought. But I'm a Pokémon Trainer, I've gotta show these wild Pokémon that I'm strong enough to have them by my side!
Instead of commanding her Litten to attack the Pokémon again, Ailey pulled out one of Hau's Poké Balls from her pocket. She adjusted her straw hat and this time made sure to fling it directly at the Pokémon's head, hitting it right in between its mandibles. Ailey watched the ball shake for what felt like an eternity before it broke again. This time when the Bug Pokémon broke free, it looked determined.
"Are you kidding me!? Litten! Get it with another Ember!"
Litten nodded in agreement and used another Ember attack on the weak Pokémon. The new Pokémon was more prepared for a battle this time and dodged most of Litten's fireballs, but it still got hit with a few of them.
"We can't weaken it too much or it'll run back into the trees," Ailey muttered to Singe. "So let's see if it's weak enough now!"
Ailey pulled out another one of Hau's Poké Balls and threw it at the Bug Pokémon. This time, however, she missed it completely and the ball flew into a patch of trees and out of sight.
"Dammit!" Ailey cursed. "Now we only have two Poké Balls left!"
The Bug Pokémon made some sort of weird victory buzz and hopped around in glee. It was clearly having fun battling with Singe but Ailey was starting to become uncertain that it wanted to join her team.
"Singe!" Ailey called out to her Litten. "I've seen you use 'Scratch' in a video chat with Kukui. Think you can strike this little guy with a Scratch attack and still manage to keep its energy up?"
Litten nodded and pounced at its opponent. The small Pokémon tried to scurry away from Singe but it wasn't fast enough and Singe clawed at it viciously. It buzzed loudly in pain, but it seemed to be enjoying it. When Ailey felt like Singe had done enough damage, she threw her fourth Poké Ball at the Pokémon and managed to strike it dead center on its head.
Here we go again...
Ailey and Singe watched in agonizing patience as the Poké Ball shook violently. There was a glowing red light at the center button that faded on and off chaotically. The Pokémon in the Poké Ball had free will of whether it wanted to join a trainer's party, so if it was weak enough it would eventually accept the trainer of being worthy.
Shake.
Shake.
Shake.
Click!
"No way!" Ailey cheered loudly and rushed to pick up the Poké Ball containing her new capture. "We caught a... a... actually I don't know what it's called but since you like to buzz a lot I'll call you 'buzz'!"
"Mrowr!" Singe purred proudly.
"Now we just have to see what Hau is-"
Before Ailey could finish her sentence, her friend had already approached her with Rowlet perched on one shoulder and a new bird Pokémon on the other. Ailey observed the small bird Pokémon. It was black and white with a long orange beak.
She pointed at it curiously. "What on earth is that?"
"This little guy's a Pikipek!" Hau smiled and handed his new Pokémon a small candy. "It took all five of my Poké Balls, but I managed to catch it eventually. Admittedly, I threw a few Poké Balls off the hill trying to catch him, but he was real eager to take part in the festival!"
"Nice!"
"So what about you?"
"I managed to catch this cute Bug-type Pokémon, but I don't know what it is," Ailey admitted.
"Care to show me?"
"I don't wanna take it out right now just cause it's a little hurt, but it's white and orange and it likes to buzz a lot, so I named it 'Buzz'!" Ailey answered, petting her new Pokémon's Poké Ball before clipping it to her belt.
"Mrowr!" Singe purred in approval.
"If I'm thinking right, then you just caught a Grubbin!" Hau exclaimed. "They're pretty common but kinda hard to raise."
"They're... hard to raise?" Ailey asked in surprise. She had always been under the impression that Bug-types grew up fast! "What do you mean?"
"Well, you see, we don't really know how to evolve it into its final form," Hau shrugged. "Some trainers have been able to do it, but it just comes about randomly. Even the professor has no idea..."
"I guess I'm just going to have to research that for myself then," Ailey sighed. "So you only caught that Pikipek then?"
"Yep, you?"
"I still have one Poké Ball left, but I think I'm gonna save it. That way, we can have a fair 2-on-2 battle!"
"Yeah? In that case, let's just call you the winner since it took you less Poké Balls to catch your Grubbin."
"I think that's fair," Ailey smirked. "So what are we waiting for? The sun's almost completely down, let's get to town!"
Ray couldn't contain his excitement as he ran through the cliffs of Melemele Island towards Iki Town, where he learned the famed Professor Kukui would be hosting a large festival! If Ray played his cards right, he might be able to start on his adventure a little earlier than he had hoped for. His plan was to get to Iki Town during the festival, watch any battles taking place, and then convince the professor to give him an island challenge amulet so he could finally go on his very own Pokémon journey. His plan was foolproof!
Sneaking out of his house was a lot easier than he had expected. His parents went to Hau'oli City for some shopping and wouldn't be back until nightfall, so after they had left he placed a small note saying that he was leaving for an adventure on the dinner table, changed into his favorite blue tanktop and white athletic shorts, and bolted out the house. In order to make sure his parents couldn't find him easily, he lied by saying that he would be taking a boat to the nearby Akala Island instead of exploring his home island of Melemele first. It was bittersweet to leave home, but Ray had been held down by his parents for far too long. It was time for him to take charge of his own life.
As he descended down the cliffside hills towards where Iki Town was, he could hear loud drumming and tribal singing. Living on Melemele Island his whole life meant he was familiar with the customs, and the particular songs that he could hear were songs about commemorating new Pokémon Trainers who were beginning their island challenges. His plan just became even more perfect! That meant Kukui definitely brought island challenge Amulets with him!
Finally, as the sun descended and the moon took its place in the sky, Ray made it to the entrance of Iki Town. He gave himself a minute to catch his breath before walking up the stairs into the town's center. Even though he had been on Melemele his entire life, he had only been to Iki Town a few times and had never been to any of the island challenge festivals. His parents feared that it would inspire him to want to go out into the world alone, so they never permitted him to go. He hated how much they babied him, and he knew he was beyond capable of exploring the world, let alone the Alola region.
He could tell that villagers from all over the island traveled to Iki Town for the festival, as Iki Town did not have as many residents as the crowd size. They were all circled around a small battle stage in the center of the town, loudly speculating on who the new trainers were and what the battle would look like. Trying not to get spotted by any of his family's friends that might have attended the festival, he made his way towards the back of the crowd, making sure to still have a good view of the battle when it began.
Bingo.
In the distance by the stage Ray could see the esteemed Alolan Pokémon Professor Kukui! His heart skipped a beat as he finally realized just how damn close he was to beginning his own journey. All he would have to do was sneak through the crowd undetected and ask the professor for an island challenge amulet. It was surefire!
"Help!"
Ray heard a faint shout echo from the distance that quickly snapped him from his thoughts. He glanced around the crowd to see if anyone else had heard it but everybody seemed to be deep in their conversations.
That was weird... maybe I just heard a small part of a conversation?
"No, please!"
Ray heard the same voice cry out again. It was definitely a girl crying out for help. This time, he was positive he heard it coming from behind him. He turned around quickly and his jaw dropped when he realized where he was standing.
Behind him was the gaping hole in the mountain that led to the legendary Mahalo Trail. It was a long passage through the mountains and over a deep ravine that led to the ruins of the island's Guardian Deity's resting place. Who on earth would be walking down the Mahalo Trail during the festival? And why would anybody be crying for help in the ruins where the Guardian Deity of all Pokémon slept?
Ray turned around to face the stage again. He was sure that nobody would ever venture into the Mahalo Trail alone and figured that they were already being helped. Besides, he knew better than to get himself killed on the Mahalo Trail on his first day of freedom.
"Someone help, please!"
He looked around and saw that clearly nobody else heard the cries for help. All of the villagers were still deeply engrossed in their conversations. Ray was probably the only person at the entire festival who could hear the cries for help.
Every Pokémon trainer has a duty to save people who need help right? Ray thought to himself. Groaning loudly, he turned around again and bolted straight into the cave that led to Mahalo Trail.
Whoever was calling for help better have had a good reason for delaying his long-awaited meeting with Professor Kukui.
Hau and Ailey had finally made it to Iki Town in time for the festival, panting loudly as they ascended the steps into town. On the way there, they put their Pokémon back in their Poké Balls so they could get a little bit of rest before the battle. They could already hear loud music booming and a large crowd of people gathered, waiting for them.
"I never knew Iki Town had all these people!" Ailey exclaimed in shock. To her, Iki Town had looked nothing more than a small village dedicated to worshipping the Island's Guardian Deity.
"Most of these people aren't actually from here," Hau explained, walking slightly ahead of her and into the crowd. "They come from all over the island to see who the new trainers going on their island challenge are. Little do they know it's us!"
island challenge? Ailey thought. She tried to remember where she heard it, but her memory was blanking. Wait, didn't Professor Kukui mention that yesterday?
"Tomorrow evening. Every new Pokémon has to battle it out in front of the Guardian Deity for their approval, so we've scheduled a festival for the both of you tomorrow. When it's time, you'll battle it out against each other and hopefully we'll hear Tapu Koko give you the all clear to begin your island challenge."
Ailey suddenly remembered the words Professor Kukui told her and Hau when they had their first battle. The festival would be to commemorate the beginning of their island challenge!
"What exactly is the island challenge?" Ailey asked Hau as they sifted their way through the crowd of people. "Professor Kukui told us about it, right?"
"I'm not really one for explanations," Hau grinned. "I'll let the professor fill you in on the details when we finish our battle."
What could the "island challenge" possibly be? It sounded daunting, but the thought of embarking on some sort of dangerous journey just made Ailey a lot more excited. Was it some sort of journey through the Alolan islands? Either way, she couldn't wait to hear from Professor Kukui what exactly she would be doing.
"Hey, kids!" The duo heard a familiar voice call them from a distance. "You made it in time!"
"Professor!" Hau responded and ran towards Professor Kukui, who was standing at the edge of Iki Town's central battlefield. "We're ready to go for our battle!"
"Well then, what are you too waiting for! Let's get this party started, yeah!" Kukui pumped his fist in excitement. "Take center stage and I'll introduce you to all the folk."
Ailey and Hau nodded and walked onto the stage, a small wooden platform raised high enough for everybody standing to see. It was marked with white tribal scriptures that Ailey could only assume had something to do with the island's Guardian Deity. The entire crowd quieted down as the people fixated their gazes on the two teenagers.
Ailey had always been a part of large crowds, but she'd never been the center of attention quite like this! It was nerve-wracking, to say the least.
"People of Melemele Island!" Kukui's deep, booming voice echoed through the town as he stood in front of the crowd. "ʻO ka manawa kēia!"
"What's was that last thing he said?" Ailey whispered across the stage to Hau.
"He's saying it's time for the battle to begin." Hau whispered back. "Just stand tall, smile, and wave."
"Today, we offer our great Guardian Deity, Tapu Koko, a battle!" Kukui continued his announcement. "The battlers will both use an equal amount of their Pokémon partners, and the last trainer with their Pokémon standing will be declared the winner. Any switch will be considered as a defeat of the Pokémon. With its blessings, we will see it that these two new trainers embark on their island challenge! Kahuna Hala will now say his piece and we'll let the battle begin, woo!"
When he finished his statement, Ailey saw an older, larger man make his way through the crowd towards Kukui. He was definitely dressed like a villager of Iki Town with a large yellow flowery cloak, his deep blue t-shirt and white martial arts belt concealed underneath. Despite his full grey hair and beard, Ailey could tell he had the same face as Hau.
That's right! Kahuna Hala is Hau's grandpa! Ailey remembered Kukui and Hau mention that Melemele's leader was none other than Hau's grandfather. It's only fitting that he makes a statement.
"We will all bear witness to a passionate Pokémon battle between two trainers's chosen by our very own Professor Kukui," Kahuna Hala announced loudly. "They have been entrusted with powerful Pokémon from the professor. On one side we have grandson of the kahuna, Hau Alaka'i!" The crowd erupted into cheers. "On the other side, we have the newcomer from the Kanto region, Ailey Selene!" The crowd once again erupted into loud cheers.
Kukui nodded to Kahuna Hala, who nodded back at him.
"Let the battle begin!" They announced together. "I kēia manawa!"
The pair turned towards each other and each pulled a Poké Ball from their trainer belts. Hau threw his Poké Ball out first and his Pikipek burst out and fluttered in the air, much to the delight of the audience. Ailey smirked and sent her Poké Ball flying as well, her newly-caught Grubbin taking form in front of her.
"Per our rules, you get the first move," Hau announced loudly enough for the audience to hear. "I await your choice."
Oh right, this is supposed to be a spectacle for the crowd... Ailey remembered before she could respond back to Hau. I've got to keep my cool and act formal.
"Thank you, Hau," Ailey replied loudly.
Wait... she thought. I don't know what moves Buzz can use!
"Uhh..." Ailey stammered. "Buzz, use Tackle!"
Her Grubbin stood confused in front of her. It clearly didn't know how to use Tackle. The crowd murmured in disapproval.
This is awkward.
"Very well," Hau responded. "Pikipek, use Peck!"
Hau's Pikipek wasted no time as it dove towards Grubbin.
"Buzz, dodge!"
Grubbin scurried out of Pikipek's way, but the small bird Pokémon was too fast for it. It landed directly on Buzz and drove its beak straight into Buzz's head. The Grubbin recoiled in pain. She forgot that she hadn't healed Buzz after its capture, so it was still shaken up from its battle with her Litten.
She also forgot that Bug-types were at a disadvantage against Flying-types like Pikipek, but it was too late for her to fix her mistake.
"Buzz, no!" Ailey shouted. She didn't really have much of a strategy for her first real battle, but she needed to think of something small that could at least catch Hau off guard. I need to think of moves that a Bug-type can use. "Buzz, use String Shot!"
This time, her Pokémon appeared to understand and fired white threads at Pikipek. Hau didn't tell Pikipek to dodge in time and Buzz managed to tangle its feet and bring it to the ground. Ailey's blood was pumping at the rush she got from the battle. She was only beginning to glimpse at what her Pokémon were capable of.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Ailey cheered. "Try and see if you can get it with a Vicegrip!"
Grubbin nodded again, releasing String Shot's threads from its mouth. It launched straight into the now-grounded Pikipek and slashed it with its mandibles. Pikipek cawed out in pain, but still managed to hold strong.
It wasn't enough. Ailey thought. "Get it with another Vicegrip!"
"Pikipek, shake it off with Growl!" Hau commanded.
Before Buzz could pounce on Pikipek again, Pikipek managed to let out an intimidating screech. Instead of going through with its attack, Buzz just stood there shaken up in fear.
Ugh, it can use Growl!
"Buzz, don't let it get to you!" Ailey reassured her Pokémon. She had really wished she could spend at least a few minutes before the festival getting acquainted with her new Grubbin. "Keep at it!"
Buzz nodded and clamped its mandibles at Pikipek again.
"No!" Hau cried out. "Pikipek, use Peck on Buzz's threads! Free yourself!"
Instead of attacking Buzz, Pikipek pecked away at the remnant's of Buzz's String Shot attack. After successfully freeing itself, it fluttered in the air again.
"Good work!" Hau cheered. "Now, use Peck! Don't let it get away!"
"No!" Ailey shouted. "Buzz, dodge!"
The Grubbin tried scurrying away from Hau's Pikipek, but its wounds from its capture were still strong. Pikipek managed to dive into Buzz with little effort and dug its beak straight in between its mandibles.
"Buzz!"
Her Pokémon flew in front of her and lay on the ground with slow breaths. Ailey knew that she had to call her Grubbin back, but as Kukui stated earlier, it meant that Buzz would unable to be recalled later in the battle. Ailey's heart sank as she recalled Buzz into its Poké Ball and clipped it back to her belt.
One down, but another one to go. She could still win this.
"Hau Alaka'i has managed to knock out the first of Ailey Selene's Pokémon!" Kukui announced loudly as the crowd erupted into cheers. "Hau is now at the advantage!"
"Not for long..." Ailey muttered to herself and unclipped Singe's Poké Ball from her belt. "Go, Singe!"
She threw Litten's Poké Ball in the air and it burst open in front of her. The rush she felt from battling with Buzz double as she now got the opportunity to show off what her starter Pokémon could do.
"Mrowr!" Litten purred loudly and was met with loud cheers from the audience.
Luckily for her, Singe didn't take any damage from capturing Grubbin. At most, it might have been very slightly fatigued from using Ember, but it had no wounds or anything else that might hinder it in battle.
"Singe, shoot an Ember attack into the air!" Ailey commanded, pointing towards Hau's Pikipek. "Let's knock that thing to ground!"
"Dodge, Pikipek!"
Singe purred loudly and spat out small fireballs into the sky. Pikipek fluttered around in an attempt to dodge Singe's attack, but it was eventually hit head on and took on the full brunt of Ember.
"Caw!" Pikipek screeched and plummeted to the ground. It attempted to stand up slowly, but the heat from Ember had already done its damage.
"We burned it!" Ailey cheered. Pikipek probably didn't have much energy left, now it was time for her to land the finishing blow. "Now let's finish the job. Singe, Scratch!"
"Get away, Pikipek!"
Singe leaped onto the grounded Pikipek and hacked at it with its vicious claws. Pikipek screeched in an attempt to get away, but it was in too much pain to shake the Litten off, just as Ailey had expected. Singe hopped off once it had done enough damage and Pikipek lay on the ground in front of it, out of energy.
"And Hau's Pikipek has fallen! The battle is tied once again!" Kukui announced loudly, met with loud cheers as always.
"You managed to wound Pikipek pretty badly with Buzz..." Hau sighed with a sad frown. "Singe just managed to put on the finishing touch."
"I figured Pikipek wouldn't be able to last after Buzz caught it off-guard with String Shot," Ailey smirked.
"Don't get too happy now, we're not done here!" Hau exclaimed. "Let's finish this off, Rowlet!"
Hau launched Rowlet's Poké Ball towards the stage and his starter Pokémon took form in front of Singe, fluttering down to the ground in a combat stance. Rowlet and Singe eyed each other cautiously, two of Kukui's starter Pokémon that were now going against each other in battle for the second time.
"Remember what happened last time Singe battled Rowlet?" Ailey asked with a smirk. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of her already having a one-match advantage on Hau, her Litten easily disposing of his Rowlet the day before.
"Didn't end so well for me," Hau reflected Ailey's smirk. "But this time it's different, we're prepared now!"
"Then show me what you got. I'll give you the first move."
"That's kind of you," Hau playfully teased her. Ailey could notice a small hint of planning in his eyes, and she cautiously awaited his attack. "Let's catch them off guard with Leafage! Then get it with a Tackle before it can recover!"
Hau's trying to distract my Pokémon! He wants to blind Litten with Leafage and then pummel it with Tackle!
"Counter it with Ember!"
Rowlet flapped its wings towards Singe and a storm of small leaves bombarded it. Before any of them could land on Singe, it spat out an Ember attack at the leaves. If Ailey could get Singe to burn all the leaves in time, its field of vision would be good enough to shrug off Rowlet's Tackle attack. But that was only a hope, she hadn't trained Singe on accuracy yet.
"Come on, incinerate those leaves Singe!"
Singe tried his best to burn through all of the leaves, but the ratio of leaves to fireballs was just too high for him. As soon as it ran out of energy to continue using Ember, Rowlet emerged from the storm of leaves and slammed directly into Singe, sending it flying towards the ground.
"Singe, no!" Ailey cried out. "Get back up! We're not done yet!"
"Rowlet was pretty wounded from our battle with Pikipek," Hau announced. "But he's still got some gas left in him! Get it with another Leafage/Tackle combo!"
"Don't let Rowlet strike you again, Singe! Put all your power into Ember!" Ailey pleaded her Pokémon, who was visibly struggling with pain.
Rowlet hooted and repeated the same attacks that threw Singe off the first time. The Litten was better prepared this time, but it couldn't muster all of its energy into using Ember. Its pain levels were too high and it fired off the weakest Ember attack Ailey had seen.
"Rowlet, it's weak!" Hau shouted out. "Now's your chance to finish this!"
The Grass-type Pokémon nodded and launched at Singe, who was being bombarbed with its Leafage attack. It managed to put all of its body weight into the attack and sent Singe flying off towards Ailey.
"Singe, no!"
Ailey's breath froze as she hoped and prayed for Litten to stand up. She breathed a sigh of relief when it very slowly began to get up, but one of its back legs gave out and it tumbled back to the ground, unable to continue battling.
"Aww..." Ailey sighed deeply, small sweat droplets rolling down her forehead. Hau definitely trained his Rowlet before he arrived at her house, and she could tell Singe wasn't quite on its level anymore. She took a minute to come to her senses before recalling Singe back to its Poké Ball and clipping it to her belt. "You did great, Singe..."
Although she was defeated pretty easily, she couldn't help but feel proud of her Pokémon. Even though Singe only knew her for a day and Buzz for not more than an hour, they still put everything on the line for her. She couldn't be upset about that.
You guys are the best.
"We did it!" Hau cheered loudly, and the crowd roared with applause.
Suddenly, there was a booming cry that echoed through the entire village. Ailey looked to the sky in a panicked confusion, but the entire crowd cheered even louder at its sound and Ailey figured it was just part of the festival.
"And that does it!" Kukui announced loudly, although his voice was mostly droned out by the loud crowd. "Hau Alaka'i has managed to defeat Ailey Selene to win the Iki Town festival, woo! And you all just heard our Guardian Deity's cry of approval! Let's hear it for our kahuna's own grandson, Hau!"
That was the Guardian Deity? Ailey thought. She proudly approached Hau and his Rowlet, who were happily waving to the crowd of festival-goers. "Congratulations, Hau! That was an awesome battle. I think I'm still coming down from that rush."
"You too, Ailey," Hau grinned and held out his hand for her to shake. "I can't help but think I got lucky with Pikipek's type advantage against Buzz."
Ailey returned the handshake with a smile. "That's all a part of battle right? You can't go into every fight having an advantage. You've gotta play to your disadvantages, just like you did with your Rowlet."
After addressing the crowd, the duo could see Proessor Kukui make his way towards them with two necklaces in his hand. He handed them to Hau and Ailey with the brightest smile on his face.
"I knew I chose some awesome trainers, woo! I couldn't be more proud to hand these island challenge Amulets to Alola's newest Pokémon trainers." Kukui stuck his hands out and held an amulet in each one. "With these, you're granted access to all of the trail sites scattered around every corner of Alola. There, you'll battle super tough Pokémon and collect Z-Crystals as proof of your victories."
"Z-Crystals?" Ailey asked.
"They're basically the proof that you completed a trial," Hau answered her with a shrug. "If you can collect each island's required amount of Z-Crystals, you'll be able to challenge the island's kahuna in a battle called the Grand Trial."
"You've done your research, cousin! Right on!" Kukui patted the boy's shoulder. He looked towards Ailey to continue Hau's explanation. "Once you complete all four Grand Trials here in Alola, you have to face off against every island kahuna again. This time, if you manage to defeat them, you'll become an 'island challenge Champion'. Sounds pretty awesome, yeah?"
Ailey forced a smile. As cool as taking on the island challenge sounded, she still wanted to be able to begin her research on each Pokémon's power. Going around and battling all these trainers would only be a distraction. She was always headstrong and willing to tackle on any challenge that got in her way, but she also needed to be headstrong towards her aspirations as well. The island challenge would have been perfect once she found the answers she wanted and finished her research, but she couldn't just deny the professor who gave her a starter Pokémon within a week of her move, especially in front of all of the Alolan people. It would have been spitting in the face of their traditions.
She glanced towards Hau and could see the sheer excitement on his face, so she would also be a bad friend by declining Kukui's offer. She sighed and gently took the amulet from the professor's hand.
"...I can't wait!" She lied, managing to mask her reservations well. I can wait.
"Awesome!" Kukui nodded. "Hey, why don't you two meet up at the town hall once the festival ends? I've got something else for you two." The professor grinned as both trainers took their amulets and agreed to his request. He turned around to address the crowd again. "Melemele Island, say hello to your two newest island challengers! Woo!"
Meanwhile, as Ailey and Hau were just beginning their battle
Ray carefully made his way up the steep hills of Mahalo Trail as the sun began to set on the horizon, darkening the skies. His family devotedly worshipped Melemele's Guardian Deity, but he had never actually been to the Mahalo Trail. It was a harsh, winding path carved through the mountains of Melemele. Fortunately for him, there was a narrow dirt road carved up the hills for him to follow.
"Who the hell could be here alone?" Ray asked himself, his breaths deep with fatigue as he continued his ascent.
He didn't like coming all the way to Mahalo Trial by himself for his first time in the area. Even though the green hills, lush foliage, and tribal woodwork looked pristine, there was something foreboding about it. It was too peaceful; no Pokémon in sight, no wind, and besides the sounds of the loud festival behind him, the only thing he could hear was the echo of a river.
It was absolutely ridiculous to think that someone made it all the way up Mahalo Trail by themselves. And that nobody else at the festival could hear them. Was Ray seriously hearing things? Because he couldn't hear anyone crying out for help anymore. Especially since he had made it deep into the Mahalo Trail, there was no way anybody this far could have been heard all the way at Iki Town.
"Hello!" Ray shouted loudly cupping his mouth, hoping his voice would echo through the hills and trigger a response. When he didn't receive one, a chill ran down his spine. "Hello?" he shouted again, this time with pinch of fear in his voice.
Is there seriously no one here? I've gotta be careful now...
"Fafnir, come on out!" Ray exclaimed and threw out Bagon's Poké Ball from his trainer belt. If anything were to happen to him in an area unknown to him, he would need the protection of his only Pokémon. There was a small explosion of light where the ball struck and the Bagon took for in front of Ray, its light blue coloration matching Ray's clothes.
"Grr..." Fafnir growled quietly.
"Okay, keep your ears peeled out for any voices you hear..." Ray muttered quietly. "This could be a trap."
Ray and Fafnir slowly made their way up the darkened path. The trail would have normally been a relaxing trip had the circumstances not been so bizarre (and had it been daytime instead), so Ray made a note to come back for meditation in the future. As he and his Pokémon made their way up the path, they both looked around to the sides to see if they could spot anyone. The sound of the flowing river got exponentially louder the farther they made it up the path, but there was still no sign of any person anywhere.
Then, he heard it.
"Shh..." Ray held a finger to his lips, prompting Fafnir to start walking more quietly. "Do you hear that?"
Fafnir nodded slowly. His Pokémon could hear it too.
It was masked by the roaring sound of the river, but Ray was certain he heard someone sobbing. In the distance, he could make out a narrow wooden bridge that was suspended high over the trail's ravine. He squinted his eyes and carefully saw a the figure of a person ahead of him.
Just in front of the bridge was what looked to be a girl his age kneeled on the ground.
"Ma'am!" Ray shouted out and sprinted over to her, Fafnir waddling as fast as it could behind him. He couldn't believe it, he actually wasn't hallucinating the cries for help. There was actually another person there in distress.
The girl didn't initially turn around to face him. Did she not hear him? Ray wished he could at least see her face to see if he knew her, but her light blonde hair, large white hat, ballet shoes, knee-high formal socks, and pearly white dress looked absolutely nothing like the attire of a normal Alolan resident. She had to have been a stranded tourist!
"Ma'am, are you okay?" Ray muttered, crouching next to her.
"Ah?" the girl sighed. She initially recoiled in surprise, but she finally turned her head to face Ray. Her shining emerald green eyes pierced straight into his chocolate brown ones.
"Is something the matter? You called out for help earlier, right?" Ray asked. When he finally got a close look at her, he was right, her skin was far too pale to be a local. She was a helpless tourist.
"H-help..." she muttered in between her sobs before pointing towards the bridge. "Save... Nebby..."
On the middle of the bridge, Ray could see that there was a small ethereal-looking blob huddled on the ground. Was that a Pokémon? He'd never seen anything like it before. And surrounding it was a flock of Spearow trying to dive at it. That was her Pokémon and it was in trouble! If Ray wanted to become a true Pokémon trainer, this would have to be the first mission for him.
"D-don't worry missy!" Ray blurted out and stood up straight. "I'll help your Pokémon!"
He ran towards the bridge with his trusty Bagon at his side. It didn't look like any of the Spearow paid any attention to him, they were too focused on the strange-looking Pokémon (soon to be their dinner) beneath them.
Ray had never actually battled with his Bagon before, despite it being his only Pokémon. With strict parents that never let him raise Pokémon within their knowledge, he didn't have many opportunities to go and train with it. Instead, he only ever let Bagon out of its Poké Ball during his daily meditation sessions and at night when his parents fell asleep. He had seen it use moves like Ember, Rage, and Bite in the wild before he convinced it to join him, but he had never actually given it commands himself.
"Fafnir, use Ember! Knock those pesky Spearow away!" Ray shouted to his Pokémon. Wait, shit, the bridge is made of wood. Ember might burn set it on fire! "Fafnir, aim your Ember towards the sky! Don't let the flames hit the bridge!"
His Bagon nodded and launched out a storm of mini-fireballs as high as it could. Fafnir's attack managed to pepper the flock of Spearow and they finally shifted their gazes towards Ray. Their eyes lit up in anger.
"That's right... Spearow aren't the friendliest Pokémon..." Ray scratched his head and gulped. He was in big big trouble now. One Spearow broke off from its flock and flew straight to Ray. "Fafnir, use Rage!"
Fafnir leaped in the way of the Spearow and its trainer, taking the full force of Spearow's hit. Hearing Ray's command to use Rage, Fafnir landed on the ground and began to glow red, anger boiling through its small body. It growled ferociously as the Spearow's hit only powered it up further.
"That's what I like to see, Fafnir!" Ray cheered. Shit, this little guy can really take a hit! "Burn it out of the sky with Ember again!"
Fafnir growled angrily and hurled a flurry of fireballs at the Spearow that dared to attack its trainer. This time, through its Rage attack, Ember's fireballs grew significantly in size. They sprayed harshly into the Spearow and it cawed in frustration. Realizing that Ray and his Bagon were too strong for it, it flew back to its flock and continued to harass the blonde girl's Pokémon.
"You can't do that!" Ray shouted to the Spearow and finally ran onto the bridge. "Whoa!"
The bridge swayed violently as Ray stepped onto it. It was way too narrow and clearly in disrepair. How could anybody leave the Guardian Deity's bridge in such a terrible state? He slowed his pace down and recalled Fafnir into its Poké Ball, clipping it to his belt. The last thing he wanted to do was tip the weight of the bridge.
"What the hell..." he muttered to himself as he made the mistake of looking down beneath him. The ravine looked like it went down for forever, and the rapid river at its bottom looked like it could sweep him into the ocean with no effort. If he made the wrong move, both him and the girl's Pokémon would fall to their deaths and nobody would find them.
His head began to rush at the terrifying sight below him. He had never actually experienced a height quite like this, and he now understood why the girl was crying out for help.
I guess this is what they call a fear of heights... holy hell.
Ray inched closer and closer to the troubled Pokémon and realized the Spearow failed to notice him again. Had he been quiet enough? Or had they just paid no attention to him? Once he was comfortable with the distance the Spearow gave the strange ethereal Pokémon, he leaped and huddled over it, his mind frozen with fear.
One sudden move and this bridge is gonna fall apart.
"You're safe with me, buddy..." Ray whispered to the small Pokémon who was shivering. Up close he could see it was patterned with dark hues of outer space, its stubby arms littered with mini stars. What a peculiar Pokémon! He looked up to see if any of the Spearow were going to make a move, but he seemed safe for the moment. He adjusted his red bucket hat safely over his head in case any of the Spearow thought that his brains would make a delicious meal. His heart was still thumping out of fear, but he was too far in to turn back now.
Carefully, Ray looked up to see if any of the Spearow thought about making a move on the Pokémon. They were still eyeing it carefully as they flew in circles, but Ray seemed to be too big of a meat shield for them to want to penetrate. Ray glanced back down at the Pokémon he was protecting and then almost gasped when he saw it glowing brightly.
"W-what are you doing!?" Ray asked loudly.
BANG!
In an instant, Ray lost feeling of the bridge beneath him. He was still completely dazed from the Pokémon's flash, but he held it tightly in his arms as he realized he was falling deep into the ravine, likely to his death. Everything went numb; no sights, no sounds, no thoughts. His body felt like it was in shock at the sudden fall, and his eyes were closed shut. If it was going to end this way, it would have to be peaceful.
Zoom!
Suddenly, there was a different sensation in Ray's body. For some reason, it didn't feel like he was falling anymore. In fact, when he finally managed to open his eyes and look down, the river was getting farther and farther away from him. He felt like something was physically lifting him into the air. What was going on? Was he ascending?
Before he could do anything, he felt himself crash violently into the ground.
"What... what happened?" Ray groaned in pain, lying face down on the ground. He was in so much pain that lying on the warm dirt felt relaxing.
"Are you okay?" a soft voice asked, although Ray could barely hear it through the ringing in his ears. "That was... really brave of you."
"Ughh..." Ray stood up with a great effort and scratched his head. He gave himself time for his vision to unblur before inspecting himself. He was covered in scrapes and cuts, but was otherwise relatively unharmed. Even his Fafnir's Poké Ball was still safely clipped to his trainer belt. He remembered falling quite clearly... how did he make it back to land? He noticed the blonde girl was in front of him and was smiling brightly, her small ethereal Pokémon happily floating around by her side.
In the distance, he could see the bridge was gone, completely torn off of its posts on the sides of the ravine. The three Spearow were gone too, and Ray figured they thought chasing him into the river wasn't worth the risk of being swept away.
What the hell just happened?
"I... I saved it? But I thought I was falling?"
"I almost fainted when I saw you fall..." the girl frowned and looked away from him, her eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, my Pokémon is so helpless and I don't know how to protect it... if you didn't make it out then it would have been all my fault. I can't believe I put someone else in danger like that..."
"Don't worry about it..." Ray panted, his mind still spinning rapidly. He had no idea how he could have possibly have made it back to high ground after falling deep into the ravine. Did the Pokémon he saved do something? He remembered it glowing brightly before the bridge broke. "What... happened?"
"Nebby used its power to try and escape with you from the bridge, but that's not what saved you..." the girl answered softly, looking down at the ground. Ray could tell she felt too much guilt about the situation she put him in to look him in the eyes.
"It's power...?" Ray asked, still trying to piece together what had happened.
"Whenever Nebby feels stressed, it likes to use teleport away. I don't know how it learned the power, but it has saved us both from some scary situations in the past. I think that's what it did right now."
"Okay, but that still doesn't answer my question," Ray stated, slightly annoyed that the girl still wouldn't explain how he didn't fall into the river. To be fair though, there were a lot of questions he needed answered. And it seemed like the girl was just as caught off guard as he was. "If your Nebby's power didn't save me, then what did?"
The girl finally looked up, but her gaze still didn't meet his eyes. Instead, she looked to the sky and pointed upwards, her emerald eyes now wide open. "That saved you."
"...that?" Ray turned looked up in confusion and almost had a heart attack when he spotted the glowing figure in the sky.
It screeched loudly, firing off bolts of lightning in every direction. Glaring at Ray with a pair of glowing golden eyes, it dropped an object from its height. Without wasting another second, blasted off down the trail in a blur, leaving a trail of sizzling electricity in its wake.
Ray had lived on Melemele Island all his life. He knew the customs and the traditions like the palm of his hand. Never once in his life did he expect to witness that. His body was numb with shock. The figure he saw in the sky was unmistakable.
It was Tapu Koko. Melemele's Guardian Deity.
A/N: Sorry to throw a long chapter out at you right from the start, and one jumbled between two adventures at that! Most of the chapters from here on out will be of similar length, but they'll be more cohesive as all four travelers start to go on similar paths. This one took some time to write because Alola is just so rich and full of tradition that it's hard to fully capture that in words, but I tried my best. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Remember to leave a review or send me a PM with any feedback or criticism you have (seriously, criticism is very much appreciated, it helps me go back and spot things in my chapters that I could have explained better) :)
