Episode 3:

Yo, yo, ya Bonehead!

Iki Town

"Yo lay off Gramps, Least ya give ya'self cramps!" The female member of team skull insulted Hala as she helped her male counterpart tie off the sack that contained munchlax.

"What are you doing with that munchlax?!" Lux asked concernedly as the male skull swung the squirming sack over his shoulder.

"We're going to make money from this guy, yo!" The male skull replied, "So ya best leave us be… yo…"

The female skull quickly wacked her male counterpart on the back of the head while shouting, "Ya skulled? Rhyming 'yo' with 'yo' gets ya scold!"

"Let the pokémon go," Hala repeated as he stepped forward, pokéball in hand, "I won't ask a third time,"

"Ya sure ya want this at all?" The female skull threatened as she too stepped forward with a Pokéball in her hand, "Cause I'll put ya in the hospital!"

Nox could feel the tension in the air as the two stared each other down. He looked to Hala, who no longer displayed a jovial disposition, but seemed deathly serious. The Kahuna then tossed his pokéball, "Crabrawler, go my friend!"

"Brawl, crabrawler!" Emerging from the flash of light was a six limped, royal purple pokemon with two closely packed horns on its head and a pair of round, sky blue pincers at the end of its front most limps standing in a battle ready stance. One of its eyes was slightly closed and its whole body was covered in chitin-like armor.

"Come out Murkrow! Show 'em what ya know!" A small, dark bird like pokemon with feathers in the shape of a hat on its head emerged as the female skull gave her first order, "Use Wing attack! Make sure he never comes back!"

"Muurr" The murkrow spread his wings wide and dived towards Crabrawler.

"Use Rock smash," Hala ordered, and with swift reflexes, Crabrawler smashed his right pincer into the ground. This caused a small pillar of stone to erupt from the ground right in front of him. The diving murkrow couldn't turn in time to avoid the new obstacle, and crashed its wing into the small pillar. Crabrawler then punched the pillar, causing it to shatter into shrapnel that peppered the dark/flying type with sharp stones.

"Argh, ya shouldn't have rock smashed!" The female skull practically growled, "Least ya want to get bashed!"

"Does she think this is a pokemon battle? Or a poetry contest?" Hau couldn't help but ask out loud.

"It does seem kind of odd," Lillie agreed while nodding her head.

"And annoying," Nox added.

"Hey, ya try and come up with these rhymes," the female skull shouted back, "they'll squeeze your brain like a lime!"

"Ugh!" The whole group moaned in unison.

"Use dizzy punch!" Hala ordered while the skull was distracted. Crabrawler charged forward and delivered a fierce series of rhythmic punches at murkrow. As it spun rapidly, it became dizzy and confused.

"Hau!" Hala called as the battle lolled in tempo, "How's Manu's feather dance coming along?"

"Huh?" Hau replied with a confused expression on his face, "Why you asking me now?"

"Give me that!" Lillie, to everyone's shock, grabbed Hau's belt and removed a pokéball from it and gave it a toss. Nox and Lux watched as a familiar winged, round pokémon with green feathers materialized from the flash of light. A Rowlet.

"Rowl?" The grass/flying type said as it started taking in its surroundings, seemingly oblivious to the situation at hand.

"Manu!" The owl rotated its head a hundred and eighty degrees at Lillie, looking confused as to why she was giving the orders, "Please use feather dance on those thugs!"

The bird gave a shrug like gesture and focused on the two members of Team Skull. He then flapped his feathers vigorously, causing a gust of wind so strong that it caught some of Manu's feathers and down before sending them at the thugs. The cloud of feathers caused them to swat at them in annoyance.

"What in Tapu's name, yo!" The male skull muttered as he shielded his eyes.

"That's no fair!" The female skull complained as she too swatted at the down and feathers, "Ya shouldn't fight with feathers and air!"

It was then that they started running, but Hala anticipated this, "Crabrawler, use Pursuit on the sack!"

Using incredible agility, Crabrawler chased after Team Skull and leapt at the sack hanging over the male skull's shoulder, catching it in its pincers and ripping it open. The heavy Munchlax tumbled out of the ruined sack with a thud before scampering behind Crabrawler for safety.

"Hey yo, you can't steal what we stole!" The male skull complained as he tossed a pokéball of his own, "Yo Salandit, make a fool of them!"

"Saland!" The small dark lizard like pokemon with small flames on its tail hissed at Crabrawler.

"Use Dragon rage!" The male skull ordered. Salandit expelled a burst of royal blue flames at Crabrawler. But with perfect timing, a barrier appeared round Crabrawler and the attack sizzled out.

"Good job using protect, Crabrawler!" Hala congratulated.

"Argh, we'll just attack ya at once yo!" the male skull yelled as both he and his female counterpart ordered their pokémon to attack simultaneously.

Nox watched as Hala didn't say anything, he just crossed his forearms in an X shape. It was then that he noticed the glowing bracelet on Hala's left wrist, and that Crabrawler was imitating the same pose. Hala and Crabrawler then waved their arms in a circle before stopping them at the six o'clock of the circle and brought their arms level with their shoulders. They then threw a series of rapid punches. A fierce aura appeared around both Hala and Crabrawler before Crabrawler once again threw a series of punches, literally, as a series of energy spheres in the shape of fist seemed to travel from the pokémon's pincers. Each one hitting Salandit and Murkrow.

After the twentieth hit or so, team skull's pokémon collapsed.

Everyone was silent, even Team Skull had nothing to say at first.

"L-let's get out of here, Alan" The Female skull said without rhyming for the first time since they showed up. She then recalled Murkrow before bolting it.

"Hey Barbra! Wait for me!" The male skull, apparently named Alan, called after her as he recalled Salandit and followed after her.

It wasn't until after Team Skull was out of sight did Hala fall to his knees and start breathing heavily. Crabrawler looking similarly exhausted.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Lux was the first to pipe up as she ran over to Hala and started drilling him with questions about that final move. Lillie quickly ran to the Kahuna's side and helped him up. Hau meanwhile walked over with Manu the Rowlet on his shoulder and checked to make sure the Munchlax was okay.

Nox just stared at Crabrawler, amazed that this small – now tired – pokémon delivered such a powerful move.

"Please, please," Hala said with exhaustion clear in his voice, "I promise to answer your questions Lux, but Crabrawler and I need some rest right now, it's been awhile since we used a Z-move,"

'Z-move, is that what that was?' Nox wondered as he felt Ennui brush up at his leg. He then looked down at the fire cat and wondered aloud, "Think you can do that?"

"Litten" Ennui said with his intense stare looking back at Nox.

"We should help this Munchlax find its way home," Lillie said, "You mind helping us Nox? Lux?"

"Sure thing!" Lux exclaimed, the adrenaline of watching a pokemon battle still pumping through her system. She then picked up Grace the Popplio and seemed ready to get going.

"Nox?" Lillie asked again.

"Huh, yea sure," Nox replied.

"While you kids do that, Crabrawler and I will get that rest," he then turned to Hau, "Sorry kiddo, but we'll have to postpone that rematch,"

"It's okay Gramps," Hau said with a cheery smile, "I'll wait,"

Route 3…

"That was so cool! I have never seen a move like that before!" Lux exclaimed excitedly, "What was it called again?"

"A Z-move," Lillie answered, "Specifically, all-out pummeling, which is just one of many Z-moves that exist,"

"Amazing!" Lux cheered. The four new friends were following the Munchlax to make sure it got home, which apparently was somewhere on Route 3 just northeast of Iki town. With the Munchlax leading the way, and with Grace, Ennui, and Manu running around and playing with each other while still keeping pace. It gave the four trainers a chance to connect.

Nox found Hau to be quite cheerful and happy all the time, almost oddly so. He didn't seem upset with Lillie brazenly taking the initiative with Manu's pokéball and commanding his partner to use feather dance. Even though Lillie solemnly apologized, Hau just brushed it off as no big deal.

Lillie, on the other hand, was calm, polite, but equally as friendly as Hau. Even though she'd occasionally throw an innocent verbal jab at Hau during conversation, of which Hau reciprocated with mirth, it was clear that the two had known each other for a long time and got along swimmingly.

"Say, why don't you let your pokémon out Lillie?" Lux asked curiously, what starter did you get?"

"I didn't actually get a starter pokémon," Lillie explained as she produced a pokéball, "Not a traditional one anyway,"

It was then that Lillie gave a toss of her pokéball. As the flash of light appeared and vanished just as quickly, it was replaced with a small light purple cat like pokémon with a gold coin on its forehead with neatly trimmed fur and upturned whiskers. It gave a confident, almost prideful look at everyone before taking in its surroundings. A Meowth.

Upon seeing a potential new friend, Grace the popplio shuffled over to the new pokémon and held out its flipper in greeting. Only for the cat like pokémon to panic and jump onto Lillie's dress.

"Gemini, calm down!" Lillie exclaimed as she detached her pokemon from her dress, "Sorry about that, Grace's flipper had dirt on it and she doesn't like to get dirty, she also doesn't like being outside of cities or buildings"

"How does she battle then?" Nox asked with an eyebrow raised.

"She doesn't," Lillie said as she recalled the panicking meowth, "I had to have Hau catch Cora for me," Lillie then gave her other pokéball a toss and a small, pink, and round pokemon with coral like protrusions on her back appeared.

"Cool, a corsola!" Lux said excitedly. Grace hesitantly approached the newest pokemon to appear, Cora gave a greeting of some kind and Grace gave a happy 'bwark' in return, the two then started playing.

"Lit" Nox looked down to see Ennui hanging closely to his legs.

"Not too fond of all the water types are you?" Nox asked.

"Litten" Was his only response.

"Look, it's Tauros!" Hau shouted as he pointed further up the route and saw a large Tauros. With grey in its snort and a chipped horn, it was most definitely the Tauros of Melemele Island. An old bull of a pokémon that has lived on the island for decades. It was known to be quite elusive and temperamental, as opposed to the other Tauros of Alola who have a calmer disposition.

The bull noticed the trainers and immediately charged after them at full trot. Everyone quickly cowered as it approached other than Munchlax, who stood his ground until the Tauros came to a halt right in front of the pudgy pokémon.

Tauros quickly sniffed Munchlax before giving a 'moo'. Munchlax then reached into the folds of his coarse and messy fur before producing a pink berry with green leaves, which Tauros ate. It seemed to look healthier and not as tense upon eating the berry. The two then calmly walked off along route 3, completely ignoring the humans and their pokémon as they did.

'click' Nox looked to his side and saw his sister holding a camera at the two pokémon as they walked off.

"You like taking Pictures?" Hau asked.

"Yep, I want to be a professional pokémon photographer one day," Lux said happily as she saved the photo to the camera's memory. They then started to make their way back to Iki Town when Lux asked, "What about you guys?"

"I hope to be a pokémon breeder," Lillie said as she picked up Cora the corsola, "I just love taking care of them,"

"I hope to beat my grandfather in a pokémon battle!" Hau said confidently, "After that, who knows?"

"Who's your Grandfather?" Nox asked.

"Kahuna Hala," Hau answered while fidgeting with his hands.

"Then good luck," Lux said, "From what I've seen, I think you'll need it,"

"Thanks," Hau said, though without as much confidence as he usually shows.

"What do you strive for Nox?" Lillie asked the male twin.

"Oh, um… well…" Nox hadn't really thought about what he wanted to do with his life. He just sort of let things go as they come. It was part of why he didn't even know what starter pokémon he wanted to choose as he woke up that morning. Nothing ever really interested him enough to be worth striving for.

"Litten," Nox's pokemon said while looking up at him with some inquisitiveness within his bored eyes. Nox remembered when he risked his life to save the fire cat from the Bewear. How that strange pokémon swooped in and protected them. He also remembered how Hala used that Z-move with Crabrawler to defeat Team Skull.

"I'll master Z-moves with Ennui," Nox suddenly said without fully realizing what he said. Everyone looked at him for a moment before Hau spoke up, "You sure? Mastering a Z-move isn't easy,"

"So I assumed," Nox said, but his confidence was growing none the less, "but it's something to strive for! And I'm sure Ennui and I can mastery them with time, right Pal?"

"Lit," Ennui said with a marginally enthused tone to his voice and a tired looking half smirk, which Nox took as a 'yes' from the expressionless fire cat.

"It's settled then!" Lux exclaimed.

"What is?" Nox dreaded asking.

"Grace and I will help you and Ennui master Z-moves!" she said with a cheer alongside Grace happily clapping her flippers, "And don't say I can't help you, us twins must stick together!"

Nox raised his arms in surrender to the idea.

"I'll help as well," Hau added as he raised his left wrist and showed everyone the bracelet with an opaque white crystal embedded in it, "I have a Z-crystal anyway, I haven't mastered the Z-move yet, but we can practice together!"

"I'll help in any way I can as well!" Lillie pipped up.

"…" Nox looked at the three offering their help for him to achieve his goal. One his sister, and two people he just met. He had a feeling that they'd make good friends. He smirked happily, "Very well, where do we begin?"

Castelia City Cruise Pier, Unova Region…

"Hey, Sweetie, wake up," Elfriede slowly awoke, she had apparently fallen asleep with her back against her father's side. And not in a particularly comfortable position either. She leaned forward and stretched her arms over her head before removing the hood of her black and white hoodie to reveal her short and unevenly cut midnight black hair with silver highlights. Her blue eyes groggily looked up and down the seaport.

"Mom's not coming is she," It wasn't a question.

"I'm afraid so," Her father said dejectedly. He then put on one of his brave faces, "Look, I know you wanted Mom to see us off, but-"

"She's busy," Elfriede finished her father's excuse. That's all he ever gave her or her mother, excuses. The two then stood up from the bench they had rested on and walked over to the line forming at the end of the pier. Everyone started boarding the cruise ship to Alola. The S.S. Wailord.

"Just think of all the new friends you'll make, Sweetie" Her father offered as an attempt to reassure his daughter.

"I don't have any friends here, Dad," Elfriede pointed out bitterly, "What makes you think I'll make any friends in Alola?"

"…" her father thought for a moment, "You've got Otto,"

Elfriede looked at the black and gold pokéball in her hand. Last thing she needed was to be reminded of Otto, the pokémon that she got the same day her parents told her they were getting a divorce. For Otto had been a 'farewell gift' from her mom. Which soured her thoughts of the little guy.

"Yea Dad, I still got Otto," she said as they walked onto the ship.

Author's Note:

So that's a slightly bittersweet ending to a chapter. First Nox and Lux's future looks bright, then I introduce a new character with quite a different outlook on her own future.

I'd like to thank Talarc for being the first (and only) reviewer for Pokémon: Eclipse at the time of writing. I hope I'm doing Hau, Lillie, and Hala justice so far. What are your thoughts on them? What about Team Skull? I know you guys are reading this story, please give me just a moment of your time to review this. It helps, it really does.

Or don't. It's up to you.

I've also updated chapter 1 with a few quality of life changes. I'd like to thank Talarc again for pointing out the typos and better phrasing.