Chapter 16 - "Enhalus."

"So, you're actually going to take the time to train?" Kala asked Cyan as they prepared for the day. "We have been constantly moving since we've started this journey, so I guess it can't hurt to enjoy some of the scenery."

Cyan nodded. "I don't think I've been neglecting my Pokémon, but we can definitely use a bit more practice. Salandit is still a bit fresh, Rockruff keeps getting put into bad situations, and Brionne could use more practice on land."

"What about Ivysaur?"

Cyan laughed as he readjusted his hat with the silver Staryu insignia on the front. "I think he needs some time to cool down. I've been overworking him."

With that, the two were off for the jungle. They were let in by Mallow, and they followed a path that took them off of the trial grounds, making sure that they wouldn't interfere with any other trial goers. This led them to an open area with a lot of tall grass and tall trees.

Kala sat down against one of the trees before releasing her Pokémon. She held her baby Kommo-o in her arms and fed him some high quality milk from a bottle while Litten laid down next to her. Rowlet, intrigued by the prospect of battling, joined Cyan and his Pokémon.

"Alright, we have a lot that we can do to practice," Cyan said. He looked at the Pokémon who were lined up in front of him. "But… I'm unsure of how to go about this."

Kala sighed. "Why don't you have the Pokémon spar? They can practice their own moves against each other on their own. It'll let them familiarize themselves with their partners moves. They'll grow more comfortable with one another. Since you always take on the trials with two Pokémon at any given time, I don't see why it would hurt."

Cyan nervously laughed. "Uh. Yeah! Okay! Let's do that. Um. Rockruff and Salandit, you two can be a pair. And then Rowlet and Brionne can be a pair."

The four Pokémon nodded and then grouped off. They began simple battles with one another, and after roughly an hour of easy practice, they took a small break. Cyan had used what he learned the day previous and made them a refreshing lunch from some of the leftover ingredients.

The Pokémon seemed to have enjoyed it, but Cyan was unwilling to taste it. He instead ate a simple ham and cheese sandwich that he had prepared at the Pokémon Center beforehand. He made sure to bring two so that Kala could also have one.

"Do you like making food?" Kala asked. It was an odd question to ask because all that he had done was make a sandwich.

Cyan cocked his head. "One of the things that they focused on at school was teaching us how to make simple food for travel. It was actually one of the more fun classes to do, ya know?"

"They didn't teach us to cook at school, because most people who start in Alola, stay in Alola. And Alola is so small, so you barely ever have to do any camping," Kala explained.

Cyan laid back and looked into the trees. "Do you think you ever want to leave Alola? When you finish your Island Challenge, do you think you'll go somewhere else?"

Kala thought on it for a moment. "I'm not sure. If Kukui realizes his dream of establishing a league, I'd love to be apart of it. But also, I want to be the Kahuna."

Cyan laughed. "You? You're too shy to battle though."

Kala froze up. She had never said anything of the like to Cyan, but he was spot on. Kala, while technically sound in school and while confident in her own abilities, got shaky every time she had to battle.

"Well, what about you? When you finish the Island Challenge, where are you off to next?"

Cyan was quiet for a moment. He took in a deep breath. "If my mom will let me, I'm going to Johto."

"Johto?"

Cyan nodded. "There's something in Johto that I feel I need to do. Someone I want to meet."

"I see," Kala said. "Who?"

"Oranguru!"

"Oranguru? What?"

Kala looked over to Cyan who had his hand extended into the air. He was pointing towards the tree where a large Pokémon stared back at him.

"Is that the same Oranguru from before?" Cyan wondered.

The Pokémon laughed slightly before starting a descent from the trees. He touched the ground, and then slowly walked over to Cyan and his Pokémon, sniffing the air.

"I think your Pokémon food attracted him here," Kala said.

The large Pokémon looked into the Pokémon's bowls and grinned. He licked his lips as Cyan stood back up, still holding his cheese sandwich in his hand.

"Do you want some?" Cyan asked.

The Oranguru nodded, and then, without any warning, he kicked Cyan's hand, making the sandwich fly into the air. With his long arms, he reached out, grabbed the sandwich in between two of his fingers, and then danced around happily.

"What? Give me back my sandwich!" Cyan cried out.

Oranguru was fast, and he used his other large arm to flip over Cyan's Pokémon. He darted for the trees, and before Cyan knew it, Oranguru was too high for them to reach. The Pokémon chortled to himself as he stuffed the sandwich into his mouth.

Cyan's stomach growled. "You're gonna pay for that one!"

Oranguru stuck out his tongue and laughed.

"Gotta be careful, Cyan. Oranguru are really intelligent."

"He stole my sandwich!"

"You can have mine, if you want it."

Cyan glared. "I'm gonna catch it!"

At the sound of this, Oranguru perked up. He looked down at Cyan and narrowed his eyes.

"Salandit, use Dragon Rage!"

Salandit jumped into the air and formed a ball of blue fire at the tip of her mouth. She unleashed it into the trees, and it exploded into smoke. But once the smoke faded away, Oranguru was gone. Salandit and Cyan looked around, but the jungle was still, and Oranguru was nowhere to be found.

But then suddenly, there was a loud crash from behind Cyan. He turned to find Oranguru directly behind him. Oranguru pulled Cyan's black hat off of his head and chuckled as he examined it.

"Give it back!" Cyan yelled. He reached out wildly, but then his hand stopped as Oranguru's eyes started to glow with purple energy. Cyan was lifted into the air by a force that he couldn't explain, and then tossed back, hitting the ground hard. He slid against the cold ground of the jungle into his Pokémon as though they were bowling pins.

Oranguru put on the hat as Cyan stood back up. He pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt and expanded it. Oranguru grinned and waited for his next move.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Cyan yelled. He threw the Poké Ball using his regular overhead pitch. But Oranguru was ready. He pointed out at the Poké Ball, making it stop in mid-air. Using his psychic energy, the ball crumpled as though it were paper, and then it fell to the ground.

"Oranguru are very picky about their trainers. If he deems you unworthy, he won't allow himself to be caught. They usually go very well with veteran trainers," Kala explained.

Cyan stamped his feet. "I'll show him! Ivysaur, let's do our new Z-Move!"

"Ivy!" the Pokémon cried as he ran out in front of his trainer.

Cyan fastened the green Z-Crystal into his bracelet and then pushed on it, making it glow with energy. It started to surge throughout his body, and Ivysaur felt the power flow through him.

"Let's go!" Cyan said as he started to strike the poses that Kala taught him that morning. He hit his final pose, and then with a loud shout, he said, "Bloom Doom!"

"Saur!"

But nothing happened. The two stood still, and Oranguru watched them with a curious look on his face. When he realized that Cyan had failed, he burst out laughing.

"Stop laughing at me!" Cyan yelled.

Oranguru winked at Cyan before sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry.

Cyan gritted his teeth. "I don't care if you don't want to be caught. Give me back my hat!"

Oranguru shook his head.

"Fine! Vine Whip!"

Ivysaur howled as he released his vines from his back and reached out towards Oranguru. This time, Oranguru charged forward, psychic energy radiating off of his body. He blasted through the vines, tackled into Ivysaur, and then leapt into the air. Without much of a delay, he disappeared into the trees, making leaves rain down.

"We can't lose him!" Cyan said. "Let's go!"

Cyan then pulled his Poké Balls out and returned Brionne and Rockruff. He motioned for Ivysaur and Salandit to follow him, and Kala hurried to gather herself together, returning Rowlet and then stuffing Jangmo-o safely into her bag. Within moments, they were giving chase.

"You don't have to catch it, Cyan!" Kala said as she followed him through the jungle.

Cyan shook his head. "He took my hat! I want my hat back! But I might as well catch him while I'm at it!"

"You're gonna have to outsmart him, in that case."

"That'll be no issue! He's going to pay for insulting my intelligence!"

Kala watched as Cyan ran as fast as he could throughout the jungle. She had never seen him so determined. What was it about the hat that angered him so much?

Cyan looked into the trees and followed the trail of leaves that continued to fall to the ground. He never took his eyes off of them, and although Oranguru was fast, Cyan was able to keep up.

"Salandit, I need you to use Dragon Rage right there!" he ordered, pointing to an area that was a little bit further up ahead.

Salandit nodded, slithered forward, and then released the blue fire into the air. It exploded right ahead of Oranguru, putting a stop to his movements. He looked down, but before he could make another move, Ivysaur's vines gripped onto his leg. They pulled him down, and he crashed hard into the ground. He struggled to get back up, but as soon as he was back to his feet, a flurry of leaves and flames connected with him. He fell backwards but put his hand on his head to keep the hat from falling off.

"Go, Poké Ball!" Cyan yelled while he threw another ball. It connected with Oranguru, and the Pokémon was absorbed. But before the Poké Ball could fall back to the ground, Oranguru exploded from it. He glared at Cyan and then raised his finger.

"Oran," it muttered. "Oranguru!" He started to wag his finger back and forth, and a surge of psychic energy flowed throughout the jungle. It stopped Ivysaur in his tracks and lifted him into the air. Oranguru pointed at the ground, and then Ivysaur descended rapidly, hitting the hard jungle floor.

"Give me back my hat!"

"Oranguru!"

Cyan growled. "Alright then! No holding back! Ivysaur, let's do this one more time!"

Ivysaur nodded as he struggled to stand back up. He clenched his teeth and then glared at Oranguru.

Cyan pushed onto the green crystal, and then he struck his first pose. The green energy flowed up his arm, and Ivysaur howled as he felt rejuvenated. He did the second pose, and then Ivysaur lowered his head.

"Alright, let's go!" Cyan said as he finished the last two poses. "Bloom Doom!" He did the final pose, and Ivysaur stood still. Oranguru watched, waiting for something to happen, but once again, nothing did.

"Oranguru!" the Pokémon called out before he started to howl with laughter.

Cyan grinned. "That's okay. Plan B! Flame Burst!"

"Oran?"

From behind Oranguru, there was a sudden blast of fire. The fire exploded into a giant wave of flames, and they washed over the Psychic-type as he let out of surprised screech. When the fire died down, he stayed standing, but he wobbled as he struggled to remain conscious.

"Double Slap!"

Salandit slithered from out of the bushes, jumped into the air, and then started to repeatedly smack Oranguru in the face. The simian Pokémon fell back, and then with one final slap, Salandit knocked Cyan's hat off of his head. Cyan ran forward, caught his hat, and then drew out a blue and red Poké Ball from his belt. He twisted his body and then threw the ball as fast as he could, connecting with the downed Pokémon.

The ball absorbed Oranguru within its red light, fell to the ground, and it started to wobble. Cyan sighed as he put the hat back on his head, and then he focused on the ball. It stopped moving, and everyone took in a breath. It was as though time stopped, but eventually, the ball let out its signature ding, indicating that Oranguru was caught.

"Yes!" Cyan yelled while he jumped into the air and clapped his feet together. "I got myself an Oranguru! I got myself an Oranguru!"

Kala clapped happily. "I thought that was never going to end!"

"I got myself an Oranguru!"

"Congratulations."

Cyan stopped jumping up and down, and he turned. From the shadows of the jungle, a man wearing a light blue suit with pale skin and slicked back blue hair emerged. He clapped together his hands slowly.

"You're the man that we met after our battle with Gumshoos!" Cyan exclaimed. "How have you been?"

"Life here is interesting."

"Oh yeah?" Kala wondered. "You new to Alola too?"

The man, now standing in the light, which just illuminated his white skin even more. "You can say that. How is your Island Challenge coming along?"

Cyan held up his arm to reveal his newest Z-Crystal. "It's not easy, but it's very fun! I think my Pokémon are developing into quite the team!"

The man looked down at Cyan's newest Poké Ball. "And you've become quite the Pokémon trainer, Cyan."

"Is it okay if we ask what your name is?" Kala asked.

"Enhalus."

"I've never heard a name like that. What are you doing in Alola?"

The man put his right hand to his cheek. "I guess I'm just enjoying the sunlight."

Cyan held up his arms and walked out into a batch of light that broke through the trees' shadows. "That's the best thing to do in Alola! The weather here is perfect!"

Enhalus nodded and then cocked his head. "I agree." He turned away. "Cyan Kokura, Kala Māhoe, I hope to see you both soon. May the rest of your Island Challenge continue to be not easy yet very fun. Goodbye."

Cyan waved as the man disappeared back into the darkness.

"He's a funny dude," he said.

Kala nodded. "He kind of makes me uncomfortable."

"But nonetheless!" Cyan exclaimed while he ran forward and picked up his Great Ball. "I caught an Oranguru!"

Kala laughed. "I guess that's something." She looked at her friend and then up at his hat. What was so special about that hat?

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I actually never caught an Oranguru in the games, but when I was making Cyan's team, I thought that a cocky but goofy Oranguru would be interesting to add. This puts Cyan's team at five! He has one more open spot, so what do you think it'll be? I'll give two hints. It's an Alolan form Pokémon. It's NOT Vulpix.

Onto the next chapter!