Episode 26: The road to Mount Hokulani
"Kukui, Nanu," a young man said as he sat took a seat at the end of a long conference table. "Glad you could join us. I think we can begin."
"Champion Hau. So, have you contacted the other regions yet?" Kukui asked the head the table.
"Yeah, I put out a word to Cynthia in Sinnoh, since this might directly affect her the most. But the others have been notified as well," Hau said, leaning back and placing his hands over his head. "Look, I'm not quite sure what we can do at this point. Our intel has more holes than a Koffing. We're not sure who's behind this ring yet."
"So, you called us to Ula'ula for…nothing?" A short woman with a purple bonnet and long, black hair said.
"I want some other opinions relating to the options we currently have, Hapu," Hau said, slightly annoyed. "For example, do we think that Team Skull or someone from the Aether Foundation might be behind the attacks?"
"The attacks in another region? Not that I'm aware of," Hapu replied. "Look, if we don't have anything to go off, why are we even having this meeting?" she stood up. "Please consider that some of us are incredibly busy, Hau. You of all people should know this. See ya later," Hapu began to leave when another voice chimed in.
"There was an attack near Po Town last week," Nanu said in his characteristically apathetic tone, stopping Hapu. "I'm not sure if that's related, but it's worth looking into."
"Please, if you could lead a team there, it would be much appreciated," Hau said, motioning diplomatically to the Kahuna of Ula'ula Island. "And actually Hapu, I do have something for you, since it is Poni Island that I am concerned with."
"Yes…?" Hapu said, turning to face the Alola Champion.
"I need you to go to the Altar of the Sunne. Tell me if there is anything noticeably different there. Once I hear back from Cynthia in Sinnoh, I might have more to confirm a possible connection, but we'll have to wait. For now, I would like to make sure the sanctuaries for our deities and legends are safe and sound."
Hapu nodded. "Noted."
"And what will you do, grandson?" Hala asked, a wide smirk stretching along his face.
"I would like to visit the Lake of the Sunne, for the same reason I'm sending Hapu to the Altar. Kukui, if you're not busy, I'd appreciate it if you joined me."
"Of course, cousin!" Kukui said excitedly.
"Do you think this will interrupt the planned Lanakila Conference?" Kahili, who was sitting to Hau's left, asked.
"Doubtful, as it doesn't seem to be directly interfering with the Alola region. At it's worst, if we don't contain this threat then we could be looking at an international crisis. That's why Cynthia's intelligence is so crucial to me. This could potentially deal with a Sinnoh myth that we haven't seen in, well, millennia."
"Fair enough. Will we convene once you get this information?" Kahili further inquired.
"Depending on what I hear, yes," Hau then looked out at the group at large, composed of the four Kahunas, the Elite 4, and Professor Kukui. "The trials will be running until the Lanakila Conference as they usually do, and I fully expect to open the conference this year. But I also say that knowing that there might be a small chance that it won't," he paused, "Any further questions?"
There were none.
"This meeting is adjourned."
"So, when is the bus supposed to show up?" Niko asked as he stood at the exit of Malie City with Charlotte to his left and Warren to his right. Rotomdex floated around them, buzzing quietly.
"Bzzzt…we just missed it!"
"Blast it," Niko muttered, "and the next one comes in a couple of hours? How long would it take to just walk to the next one?"
"A few hours as well. We'd have to travel down Route 10 to the base of the mountain. If I might add, it would be easier to simply walk to the base and wait."
"I think we should do that, then," Charlotte suggested. Niko and Warren agreed, and the three continued down the road.
It had been a few days since they had arrived in Malie City. During this time, the trio spent their time exploring the city and training in their down time. Niko and Charlotte took full advantage of the practice battlefield provided by the Pokémon Center, occasionally enlisting Warren to help with their training sessions.
Warren, on the other hand, took some time to grow accustomed to the Malie library. He spent most of his time there looking at books on various Pokémon subject fields—breeding, training, even coordinating in contests like Brittany had done. He found it helpful to look through the different ways people and Pokémon could work together to be of service to the world, which is the basis of what Warren wanted to do.
During his visits to the library he noticed a short, purple-haired girl sitting at a nearby table. She was always reading the same book—whatever it was—and not bothering to look up. However, he did find her intriguing.
It was midday when the trio decided to stop under a tree for a couple minutes. It was a warm day in autumn, and the three of them quickly found shade underneath a tree to briefly rest.
"Ula'ula doesn't seem to different from the other islands," Niko said.
"Ula'ula is one of the most diverse islands in terms of biomes!" Rotomdex declared, "There's a desert to the south, two mountains—one that is snow-capped—and a swamp to the northwest!"
"Oh, I had no idea," Niko said, looking at the road beyond, "in that case I'm excited. I wonder what the upcoming trials will be."
"I wonder, too," Charlotte said. She wondered if her Pokémon would be up for whatever challenge came before them. During their training sessions in Malie City, Lapras and Salandit seemed to be improving, judging based on how they executed their moves as well as how well they performed against Warren's Pokémon. As for the other three—Noibat, Dartrix, and Flaaffy—the only one she found any concern for was Noibat. The Sound Wave Pokémon wasn't showing much improvement in her training, and still didn't seem close to mastering the move acrobatics. Charlotte quietly hoped that she could get a chance to continue training with Noibat when they reached the top of Mount Hokulani.
After a while, the trio continued onwards towards the bus stop at the end of the long, winding road. As they walked along, they noticed an elderly woman looking for something. Curious, Charlotte approached the woman, who had an expression of worry written on her face.
"Are you okay, miss?" she asked. The old woman shook her head, almost frantically looking around for something.
"I…I can't find my Stufful. All of them seem to have disappeared," she said.
"How many of them are there?" Niko inquired.
"Five of them."
"Then let's each go look for a couple. How long ago did they go missing?"
"Not too long ago. I was packing up lunch from our picnic," she said, pointing to a checkered blanket with a basket sitting in the middle, "and the next thing I knew—they were gone! I don't know what to do!"
"It's fine, we'll find them," Niko said, turning to Warren and Charlotte. Tacitly, they agreed to split up—Niko went across the road, Warren searched the road they had just been on, and Charlotte went ahead on the road in the direction of the bus stop.
"Noibat, come on out," Charlotte whispered, summoning the Sound Wave Pokémon, "let's go looking for the missing Stufful. You know what those look like, right?" she asked. Noibat nodded—presumably remembering when Rotomdex showed her a picture of one after Charlotte and Aaron reunited on Akala Island. She walked down the road, with Noibat flying high and ahead of her. The little bat chittered as she looked around at the trees and empty dirt road, looking for the tiny stuffed Pokémon.
This reminds me of the time I nearly lost Smeargle…Charlotte thought to herself, remembering accidentally falling asleep in a Castelia City park one afternoon. School had just gotten out, and she was graduating. So, she decided to take Smeargle to a park for the day to relax from the long days of studying prior to the end of the term. After eating more food than usual, she lay back on the soft grass, listening to the light gusts of wind around her.
Suddenly, she found herself waking up entirely alone. Last thing she remembered, Smeargle was sitting next to her painting. Where did she go? Sitting up, Charlotte looked around, more frantic than curious, and not seeing the sight of her Painter Pokémon anywhere. Where is she…? Charlotte thought at the time. She got up, slinging her messenger bag around her shoulders, and hurriedly walked around the area. After a dozen minutes or so, she failed to find Smeargle. That's when she heard a young child giggling off in the distance, near the pond in the middle of the park, at the bottom of a very gradual decline.
"Smeargle?" Charlotte asked, noticing a familiar-looking Pokémon entertaining a small child sitting in her mother's lap. "Smeargle!"
Smeargle turned to Charlotte, waving her long tail in the air, pleasing the child in the process. Charlotte dropped to her knees and hugged the Painter Pokémon tightly.
"I'm so sorry I let you out of my sight!" she said, panic still in her tone. "It won't happen again!"
"Your Smeargle is a lovely Pokémon," the mother of the small child said kindly. "He loves seeing new Pokémon, very much like his father."
"Oh, well," Charlotte said nervously, scratching the back of her head and laughing, "glad I could help, then!"
"Now, Caiden, we have to let the nice lady take her Pokémon back, alright?" the mother said to the little boy. Caiden initially looked very upset, but relented, reaching out a palm with which to high-five Smeargle. She returned it and turned to Charlotte, who stood back up and was ready to leave.
"Thank you for finding Smeargle," Charlotte said with a still nervous smile. "I really appreciate it."
"Honey, that was all Smeargle. It came to us, actually," the mother said, "Caiden was crying, and I was trying to calm him down, and then Smeargle showed up and began drawing things in midair. Caiden was immediately entranced in it."
Charlotte, now at a loss for words, looked down at Smeargle and smiled. She hadn't had Smeargle for very long, but she never since regretted the choice to capture her.
As soon as Charlotte snapped back to reality, she noticed Noibat caught in a battle with a large, light-brown feathered bird. She believed that it was a Fearow—having seen them on occasion in Unova and Kalos previously. They were locked in a battle above a fruit tree. At the base of the tree was none other than a small Stufful, who looked worried.
Charlotte, noticing that Fearow was distracted, sprinted over to the tree trunk to get Stufful away. "It's okay, I'm here to help you," she said in a kind tone that lacked panic, much unlike her memory of losing Smeargle. "Your owner is worried sick about you."
Stufful eyed Charlotte, and then shook its head.
"Come on, she's really worried!" Charlotte said, this time with more authority. The Stufful still refused to move. Then, suddenly, Noibat crashed into the ground, rolling across the dirt. "Noibat!" Charlotte shouted, getting up and running towards the Sound Wave Pokémon. "Are you alright?"
Noibat looked up at Charlotte and chittered silently before slowly getting back to her feet. Loud sound waves emitted from her large ears—she was using screech—and forcing the Fearow to lose control and crash onto the ground as well. Noibat then opened her wings wide and charged towards her opponent, the wings glowing a bright white color. She collided with Fearow and managed to knock it to the ground. In retaliation, Fearow's beak began to elongate and illuminate in a white color, and it stabbed Noibat's right shoulder, causing the Sound Wave Pokémon to shriek loudly, releasing another screech attack. Fearow, again in response, slashed and clawed at Noibat, eventually knocking her onto her back in the dirt.
Noibat's body was scratched and beaten, and she found it difficult to move. Meanwhile, Charlotte felt paralyzed—she could have sent out another Pokémon to easily defeat the Fearow, but at the same time she felt like this was Noibat's battle. She could win this.
"Noibat, you can do it!" Charlotte shouted, just as she noticed something small moving out of her peripherals and into plain view. Stufful lunged at the Fearow, landing on its back with a powerful kick, forcing the flying type into the ground. In response, Fearow backhanded Stufful with its wing before following up with what looked like a drill peck.
Then Noibat jumped in the way, taking the hit and starting to illuminate a bright white color. Quickly and aggressively, Noibat began to grow into a far larger Pokémon than before. Her ears were still large, but small compared to the rest of her body. She had a mane of white fur sprouting around her neck and upper back; two black wings lined with a dusky purple color and maroon grasping claws. There were teal membrane fans between her ribcage and wings. At full height, she was now roughly as tall as Charlotte.
The evolved Noibat stood up high, seemingly unharmed by Fearow's drill peck. She then leapt high into the air and, with a white, translucent aura about her, quickly shifted around in the air before crashing down on Fearow. She had finally learned acrobatics.
"YES!" Charlotte shouted, pumping a fist. "You did it!"
"Charlotte?" Niko's voice could be heard in the distance. Charlotte turned around to see Niko, Warren, and the old lady quickly approaching with four other Stufful in tow. "Is everything al—oh my god!" he said upon viewing Noibat's evolved state. "Is that…?"
"Yes," Charlotte said with a smile.
"Bzzzt! That's a Noivern!" Rotomdex inserted, "They're also known as the Sound Wave Pokémon and, also like Noibat, are flying and dragon type. These hot-blooded Pokémon attack anything they see with ultrasonic waves that can crush boulders."
"And she learned acrobatics," Charlotte said with a wink.
Noivern continued to attack Fearow, quickly pummeling it into the ground. When she landed on the ground—albeit clumsily, as she was getting used to her massive wings—she stood over the defeated Pokémon, a mixture of angry and proud.
"Stuffy!" the old lady said, running up to the Stufful Charlotte had found. "I was so worried about you. Thank you, miss!"
"No problem," Charlotte said, "I'm just glad you were able to find your Pokémon."
"And that yours got stronger," Warren said with a smirk. "Hey, Noivern!"
Noivern happily acknowledged Warren before looking eye-to-eye with Charlotte. After a moment, they embraced.
"You did so well. We're going to show the Ula'ula trials that we're not messing around!" she said proudly. Noivern nodded in agreement, her chittering now with a deeper tone to it.
Nearly half an hour later—and with the help of the old lady's directions—Niko and his friends arrived at the Exeggutor Express bus stop at the base of Mount Hokulani.
"So, Rotomdex," Niko said, "how long until the bus arrives?"
"Bzzzt…it should be here…right about now," Rotomdex said as they heard a bus slowly move up the road they had just traveled along. "There it is!"
"It looks…weird looking," Niko said, noticing the Exeggutor face on the front with an odd-looking smile. On the rear of the bus was some sort of leafy tail—Niko had no idea Exeggutors had tails in the first place.
Nevertheless, they managed to board without any issues, and took the bus up the rather windy road to the top of Mount Hokulani. Along the way, Niko quickly found himself feeling nauseous. In response, Charlotte laid his head on her shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner, which seemed to calm him down.
When they exited the bus, the trio looked around them. A small collection of buildings seemed to be thrown together to resemble a tiny village. At the far end of the peak—opposite the bus stop—was a large blue-colored building with a satellite on one end and a large domed telescope on the other. Closer to them was a Pokémon Center.
However, that wasn't what immediately caught their attention after their brief survey of the area. It was the view—at sunset.
"Wow…" Charlotte said as she walked past the Pokémon Center towards the edge of the peak, blocked off by a steel rail. "This is…all of Ula'ula Island."
"It's incredible," Niko said. He meant that. It wasn't often that he got to see the world around him from such a high viewpoint. The only thing closest was Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh but even then, he had difficulty seeing the world below, at the peak of the mountain was above cloud level, and Mount Hokulani was just barely at that altitude.
"What a great setting for your next Island Trial," Warren said, throwing his arms around Charlotte and Niko's shoulders.
They couldn't agree more.