Chapter 19 - "Accept the Past."

Two Days Prior

"You haven't done a Z-Move yet?" Olivia asked. She had bestowed upon Cyan the Rockinium-Z, but upon hearing the news, she was baffled.

Cyan slowly shook his head. "Nope."

Olivia put her hand to her chin. "I did think that it was weird that you didn't attack with one during our battle. It probably would have made everything a lot easier for you."

Cyan was silent.

"We're not sure what it is," Kala said. "He does the dances correctly, even if his rhythm is off a little bit. And his Pokémon are clearly passionate about battle. And Cyan believes in his own abilities. What is he missing? Do his movements have to be flawless? Should I be more strict?"

Olivia laughed and then shook her head. "No. No. That won't be necessary, Kala. You know the movements, you and your Pokémon are passionate, and you believe in yourself. What are you missing? What is it that you need?"

Cyan looked at the ground, remaining silent.

Olivia grabbed Cyan by the chin and gently made him look at her in the eyes. His eyes were brown but bright. At the moment, they appeared slightly puffy, as though he were holding back tears.

"You're afraid of something. Something is on your mind, right?"

Cyan gulped. "Maybe?"

Olivia paused a moment before she let go of Cyan's chin. "Whatever it is, you need to let that fear go. Let that doubt go. Accept the past, and look forward to the future."

"Accept the past?"

"Yes. And then you'll be able to move forward. You're a very powerful trainer, and with a Z-Move, you'll be someone to really be reckoned with. But I think that the idea of that kind of power scares you."

Cyan was silent again.

"Accept the past, and look forward."

Present Day

Although Cyan's challenges and trials on Akala Island were complete, the duo decided to spend a little bit more time to relax with their Pokémon on the beach. Cyan spent what money he earned from battling to rent out a room at the Hano Grand Resort.

While Kala focused on her tan, Cyan relaxed in the shade, looking out at the ocean. The Pokémon all played with one another. After what seemed like endless battling, they were finally allowed to take a small break and enjoy the Alolan weather.

That said, Salandit was afraid of the water and Oranguru didn't want to partake in simple-minded games, so the two of them joined Cyan in the shade where they could meditate. Lycanroc buried herself in the sand and enjoyed the warm particles against her fur. Litten kept her company. Jangmo-o enjoyed playing with Ivysaur and Rowlet. He'd repeatedly run out near the ocean and the two Pokémon would have to playfully catch him, preventing him from going too far. Brionne played by himself mostly, seeing how fast he could swim through the water.

Accept the past.

It continuously rang through Cyan's head. He knew that's what he needed to do if he ever wanted to do a Z-Move. It was the mental block that kept him from going to the next level, but was he able to really accept what happened?

Cyan pulled his knees to his chest and put his head down. He started to lightly shake as he thought about everything that lead him to this point. Why did he wait one year to become a trainer? Why did he have to start in Alola? Why was he taking on the island challenge and not gyms?

Accept the past.

Cyan started to slowly shake. He tightly closed his eyes and held back what he thought were tears.

Oranguru looked at his trainer. He was unsure of what to make of the situation. Since he had met Cyan, his trainer only ever had a smile on his face. But at this point, his trainer looked vulnerable. There was no reason for it either. Why was his trainer crying?

Oranguru reached out his long arm, and he patted Cyan on the back. The trainer didn't respond. Oranguru sighed and then lightly grabbed at Cyan's hat, pulling it off of his head. This got the trainer's attention. Cyan looked up, his face caked with tears.

"What?" he asked.

Oranguru placed the hat on his own hand, puffed out his cheeks, and then blew a raspberry.

Cyan sniffled. "Not now…" His vision was blurry, but he tried to look at the Pokémon. The only thing that he could see clearly was his hat and the silver Staryu emblem.

Accept the past.

Two Years Prior

"We're sorry. We've looked everywhere. It's been a week, and we haven't found her," a voice said from downstairs. Cyan was supposed to be sleeping, but he heard a knocking at the door. He hid at the top of the stairs while the two strange men talked with his mom. He was careful with his steps, but he needed to know what was going on. Who would come this late at night?

"You can't keep looking?" his mom asked. Her voice was shaky.

There was no reply. Instead, his mom was met with silence.

"We'll keep looking. But as of now, we have to declare Aoi as missing."

With that, a feeling that Cyan was very unfamiliar with shot through his body. It was as though he went numb. He lost feeling in his arms, and he slowly collapsed to the ground, lying down at the top of the stairs. He looked out into the darkness, in the direction of his older sister's room.

Missing.

A tear escaped Cyan's eye, and it streaked horizontally across the bridge of his nose, falling to the wooden floor. It wasn't even a month ago when he was celebrating his sister's monumental Indigo League victory. And now…

Missing.

Present Day

Cyan continued to look at his Pokémon, and slowly, his vision became clear. Oranguru, with his goofy face, stared back at Cyan, his tongue sticking out wildly.

Cyan couldn't help himself. His frown quickly turned, and he smiled wide. He suddenly burst out laughing, and Oranguru continued to shake his tongue. Cyan fell over and clutched his stomach as he laughed harder than he had in a long time. Oranguru stood up slowly and then poked Cyan in the side. Cyan continued his wild howl, only now for a different reason. Oranguru poked and poked, sending Cyan into a frenzy.

This caught everyone else's attention, and they all paused what they were doing to look at Cyan. He rolled around on the ground and Oranguru didn't relent.

"Not now! Please stop!" Cyan managed to yell through gasps.

Oranguru paused, smiled and then removed the hat. He forced it back onto Cyan's head before he took his seat again. Cyan sat up, his face now dirty from the mix of his tears and the beach sand. He looked out at the ocean and his Pokémon.

Accept the past.

He closed his eyes and saw his sister. He took in a deep breath and stood up.

"Okay!" he yelled. Now everyone was looking at him. "I got it!"

"Got what?" Kala wondered. She removed her sunglasses. "You okay?"

"I know how I'm going to do the Z-Move."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! Accept the past, but don't give up hope for the future."

Kala was perplexed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's okay," Cyan said. He readjusted his hat. "I'm gonna do one now."

"Now?"

"Yes!"

"On the beach?"

"Yes! And you too!"

"Me too?!"

"Yes! Get up!"

Kala, not sure where Cyan's sudden confidence came from, shot straight up. She looked to her bracelet and the red Z-Crystal she received from Cyan.

"O-okay!"

Cyan looked out at his Pokémon. This was going to be a big moment for him, so he felt that he needed to make sure the right Pokémon did the move with him. He looked at Ivysaur, who would be the obvious choice. But Brionne wouldn't be bad either. Lycanroc would be a great choice because she just won his last battle for him. He unfortunately now lacked the proper crystal for Salandit, so that was a no-go. But what about Oranguru? Also, no.

"Ivysaur, you're up!"

Ivysaur used his vines to put Jangmo-o in a safe place, and then he ran to Cyan's side. Litten also got into position for her attack with Kala. The four all stood next to each other, and then they looked to the ocean.

"You think you can do one?" Cyan asked.

Kala's hand shook. "Y-yes. I know I can! B-but I'm worried about embarrassing you!"

"I'll be fine."

They all paused. The two trainers stood next to each other. They then started to strike their poses. They held their arms to their side, activating the crystals. Litten felt the power of fire course through her, and Ivysaur was overcome with the energy from mother nature.

"Let's go!" Cyan said as he struck his next pose.

"Litten!" Kala yelled, striking the third required movement.

"Ivysaur!"

"Inferno Overdrive!"

"Bloom Doom!"

They both hit the final move of their traditional dances, and energy surged through both of them. The energy found its way to Litten and Ivysaur, and they let out cries.

Litten ran forward and jumped into the air. A ball of fire formed in front of her mouth, and she unleashed it towards the ocean. It imploded on itself, momentarily sucking the sound out of the air. With one powerful explosion, it erupted, sending water, flames, and smoke into the air.

On the other side, Ivysaur started to glow. Energy emitted from his body, and flowers started to bloom from the sandy ground. Within moments, the beach had seemingly turned into a jungle. And then all of the flowers erupted, causing an explosion that could be heard from the first class rooms at the hotel.

The four paused as the energy slowly died back down. The crystals' shine faded away, and everything was soon back to normal. Cyan and Kala both breathed heavily, never feeling a sensation like that before, and Ivysaur and Litten stared at one another, unsure of what to make with their newfound power.

"I-I did it…"

"We did it…" Kala muttered. "You did it. I did it. We… both did it…"

"Yatta!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Pretty short, but this is probably the most important chapter so far. Not gonna lie, but it felt so good to finally write Cyan performing a Z-Move.

Kala also proved herself here too. Her story up to this point has been a bit more subtle, but we're going to start pushing her to the forefront soon.