Chapter 21 - "You Don't Seem Like Much."

After a day of relaxation in Malie City, it was now time for Cyan to move onto his next trial. Although he had only challenged Olivia less than a week previous, he was still very eager to continue the island challenge.

It was starting to cool down in Alola, but Cyan wasn't too bothered. He continued to wear his white khaki shorts, but he replaced his regular t-shirt with a long-sleeved black top, matching the silver Staryu hat he always wore.

Kala's hair had started to grow since she hadn't been able to go to a beauty salon in a month, and she pulled it back into a small ponytail. She switched her summer Alolan dress for a more appropriate autumn one, now equipped with long-sleeves. To fit with the Ula'ula Island's color, she switched to red.

"You're challenge is all the way on top of Mount Hokulani. It'll take place at the Hokulani Observatory. When it's finished, we can get a great look at the night sky," Kala explained.

"Anything else I should know?" Cyan asked. He considered his current team of Pokémon and their strengths and weaknesses.

Kala shook her head. "I think it'd be better if everything was a surprise."

The duo had to ride a bus which would take them up the mountain. The ride was overall smooth, but as they increased in elevation, Cyan could feel his ears pop. He moved around his jaw as the pressure got to him. Kala looked at him with a confused look, but Cyan ignored her.

Eventually, they arrived, and as many tourists scrambled out of the bus to go and get pictures of the scenery that the mountain offered, Cyan focused his attention on the building before them.

"You don't want to get a picture?" Kala asked.

Cyan shook his head. "Nope. I'm looking forward. We'll get a picture after."

Kala shrugged and looked at all of the other bustling tourists. She was slightly thankful that Cyan wasn't interested in getting involved with the crowd. "Alright. Sounds good."

The two continued into the building. Cyan wouldn't know that it was the area for a trial if he hadn't been told about it before. The observatory was packed with people looking at rocks from space, buying things from the giftshop, and taking funny pictures with their families.

"Um…" Cyan muttered as he took a look around.

"Two of you today?" the receptionist asked. She had a wide smile on her face, and her hair was neatly pinned back. "It is a wonderful day for a date."

"We're not…" Cyan groaned. "I'm here for a trial."

The receptionist was taken aback. She put her hand to her mouth and giggled. "Well, why didn't you say so, silly!"

"I did," he said quietly.

The receptionist pushed a button on her desk, and after a while, someone came to greet them. The two were called away from the desk, and they left the main area with all of the tourists. They entered into a quiet hallway where the person told them to wait. They stood in silence and looked at one another, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"You're a trial goer?" a raspy voice called. There was slight anger in its tone. The two looked down the hallway and a small and tubby boy with a yellow scarf revealed himself. He was maybe only a year or two older than Cyan and Kala.

Cyan nodded and grinned. "Yep!"

The boy scrunched up his nose and looked Cyan up and down. "You don't seem like much." He caught Kala's stare. "And what are you looking at?"

Kala took a step back. "I just thought that the trial captain was someone else. I didn't know Molayne was replaced."

"Molayne is my cousin, and he picked me to take over as trial captain. He's still around, but he mostly focuses on the observatory. My name is Sophocles. This is my partner, Togedemaru." He motioned towards a small and round Pokémon that followed him around. It was white and green with some streaks of yellow through its fur. It looked up at Cyan with a sinister smile.

"I'm Cyan. This is Kala. It's nice to meet you," Cyan said.

"Likewise."

"So, how about we get started?"

"Your challenge is simple. You're in a maze. Get to the end," Sophocles said into a microphone. He and Kala were in a separate room from Cyan, and they watched through a window while Cyan made his way through the puzzle.

"It's not that simple is it?" Kala asked.

Sophocles sneered. "Of course not…"

Cyan dragged his feet as he continued through the room. He sighed and then looked up at the window. He couldn't see either Sophocles or Kala, but he knew they were there. The walls making up the maze were made of steel, and they had yellow lights streaked across them.

"This really it?" Cyan wondered to himself. He glanced at the lights, noticing that they started to flicker. Suddenly, their light completely faded away. There was a flash, and then complete darkness.

"Uh…"

"You're in a maze. Get to the end," Sophocles repeated into the microphone. "It looks like you'll be without one of your senses. Also, I need you to turn back on the power. When you reach the end, make sure to flip a switch. Easy enough, right?"

Cyan sighed. He walked forward, sticking his hands out. Sure enough, he eventually hit a wall, turned and then started in another direction. Unsure if he was moving forward or backwards, he kept his pace slow, making sure not to smack against a wall.

"I don't think that fumbling around in the darkness is a great challenge," Cyan muttered. "I was already lost before."

"You could be stuck here for hours!" Sophocles exclaimed before laughing maniacally.

"Or…" Cyan said. He reached out and put his right arm against the wall. "I use an old trick taught to me by my grandpa." Cyan continued, allowing his arm to trace against the wall, guiding his way.

Sophocles looked at his night vision camera and scrunched up his face. "What's he doing?"

"Ah!" Kala exclaimed. "I've heard about this! You can get through any maze, easy or hard, by putting your hand against the wall and walking forward. It can take awhile, but it's a lifehack, I guess."

"Hacked?!"

Sure enough, it only took Cyan a few minutes, and he reached the end of the maze. At the end of the hallway was a switch, glowing with electric neon energy. Cyan approached it slowly, and with a quick flick, flipped the switch. The room surged with electricity, and the lights once again illuminated the room. Cyan sighed with relief and looked up at the glass.

"Does this mean I win?"

Sophocles didn't answer. Instead, the room started to rumble, and the walls that formed the maze started to move, sinking into the ground. On the other side of the room floated a rather large Pokémon. It's wings buzzed rapidly, and it looked angrily at the trial goer.

"Meet Vikavolt!" Sophocles cackled wildly. "Bet you have no trick for this!"

"This is what I came for!" Cyan said. He pulled two Poké Balls from his belt and threw them into the air. Lycanroc and Salandit emerged, immediately taking their battle positions.

The floating Pokémon let out a shriek, and the room buzzed again. Two small doors behind Vikavolt opened up, and six small Pokémon that Cyan was barely familiar with waddled their way through.

"Charjabug?" Cyan asked himself. He remembered the bus-shaped Pokémon from a few weeks ago. "Charjabug!" He looked back onto the steel-floored field, counting the trail of Pokémon. "Wait, six?!"

Without warning, the six Pokémon lined up next to each other, and then as though they had been rehearsing their next move their whole lives, they each unleashed thick strings from their mouths, shooting it across the field.

"Burn it up with Flame Burst!"

Salandit got in front of Lycanroc before she released a small burst of fire from her mouth. The burst exploded, turning into a wave of fire. The fire took over the strings, burning them to a crisp instantly.

"Now follow with Accelerock!"

As the flames died down, Lycanroc bounded forward. She ran straight into the group of Charjabug, knocking two of them into the air, but before Cyan could make his next command, the remaining four released another set of strings. The strings bound Lycanroc, forcing her to the ground. She yelped as the strings started to harden, making it impossible for her to move.

"Get in there and help her out! Use Double Slap!"

Salandit started down the field, but two of the Charjabug were quick. They broke off from the group, electricity filling their bodies with energy, and they tackled into the Fire-type. Salandit fell back and stared at her partner, helpless to do anything.

The remaining two Charjabug then sent electric sparks into Lycanroc, and they were soon joined by the other two that attacked from before. Soon, four Pokémon were sending their energy into Lycanroc, and with a loud shriek, the Rock-type went limp.

Cyan lifted his Poké Ball and returned Lycanroc. "I guess that their numbers game is going to be our biggest challenge." He drew out his next Poké Ball. "So, we'll have to battle with all of our hearts! Go, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur materialized onto the field, and he was immediately surprised by all of the Pokémon that he saw he would be fighting against. He shot a look over to Salandit who simply nodded.

The six Charjabug all regrouped, and they collected closely together, charging electricity throughout their bodies. Without much warning, they all charged forward.

"Seed Bomb!"

Ivysaur leaped into the air, and a ball of green energy formed at the tip of his bulb. He flipped his body, unleashed the ball, and it exploded upon impact with the six Pokémon, knocking two of them back, but the rest persisted forward.

"And now Flame Burst!"

Salandit was quick. She slithered forward before unleashing the flames onto the field again. They washed over the four remaining Pokémon, engulfing them completely, and for a moment, it was completely silent.

"Got 'em!" Cyan yelled.

But then suddenly, one of the Charjabug emerged, darting straight towards Salandit. Ivysaur was quick, extending his vines and smacking them against the ground. He flew forward, landing in front of Salandit. The Electric-type attached to Ivysaur's bulb, sending electricity through his body. He cried out while Charjabug released itself. Sparks emitted from Ivysaur as his movements started to slow down.

"Paralyzed…" Cyan muttered. "Not good."

Without needing any orders, Salandit jumped over Ivysaur, and she released blue flames down onto the field, finishing off the last remaining Charjabug. The field was now littered with their twitching bodies, and Vikavolt appeared enraged by the carnage.

"Here it comes," Cyan said. He looked out as Ivysaur struggled to move. Salandit took a defensive position in front of him.

Vikavolt's massive pinsirs started to glow with dark green energy, and then he swooped across the field, ready to clamp them down as hard as he could.

"Flame Burst!"

With one quick movement, Salandit released flames upon the field once more. They exploded and covered Vikavolt completely, but the Bug-type was unphased. It continued through the flames and then snapped his two front pinsirs down onto Salandit before tossing her to the side. In his mouth, he chewed gingerly on a red berry.

"It just shook off my Flame Burst like it was nothing!" Cyan exclaimed.

"You see that little berry? That's an Occa Berry! It lets Vikavolt take one of your Fire-type attacks with ease!"

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes!"

Vikavolt then turned its attention to Ivysaur. Its pinsirs lit up with the dark green energy once again as it prepared to bite down.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur looked up and tried to unleash his attack, but the electric sparks stopped him. He paused, and it was just enough time for Vikavolt to snap forward, lock his jaws onto Ivysaur, and then toss him into the air. Ivysaur flailed about wildly, but Cyan took this opportunity to try an attack.

"Seed Bomb!"

Ivysaur tried to shift his body, and he released the orb of energy towards the ground. It exploded once it reached Vikavolt, engulfing the Bug-type with energy, but once Ivysaur hit the ground and the blast faded away, Vikavolt remained in the air. It was as though the attack did nothing.

"It's really strong," Cyan muttered. He let the light from his Poké Ball absorb Ivysaur before his chose his next ball.

"You won't be able to beat my Vikavolt at a test of strength! You'll have to outsmart him! But I doubt that someone like you even could!" Sophocles' voice echoed throughout the room.

Cyan shrugged. "If I need to outsmart him, then there's no better fit than Oranguru!"

With that, Oranguru's massive body emerged onto the field. He lazily looked over at Vikavolt, not intimidated by its size or angry demeanor. This seemed to have only angered Vikavolt even more, as the Pokémon started to surge with electric energy, storing power within itself.

"If that's the case, then use Nasty Plot!"

Oranguru nodded and then put his hand to his chin. He closed his eyes, and psychic energy started to flow throughout his body, preparing him for his next attack.

Vikavolt let out a screech, and then it shot forward, Oranguru took a fighting stance, prepared to strike as necessary.

"Confusion!" Cyan yelled.

Oranguru pointed out at Vikavolt, and using his psychic energy, he forced the Bug-type to stop in its tracks. Oranguru laughed as the Pokémon began to squirm in the middle of the air.

"And now use Flame Burst!"

Salandit took her chance. She jumped into the air, and then released the flames from her mouth downwards. But suddenly, as though Vikavolt knew what was coming, he increased the electrical currents around his body, deflecting the fire. He broke free from Oranguru's psychic grip and then flew upwards, crashing into Salandit, and electrifying her. She fell to the ground, her body completely limp, and now worry started to set in for Cyan.

He slowly returned her and gritted his teeth. "This thing is strong… I should have been more careful."

Sophocles' voice cackled throughout the room, reverberating off of the steel walls. "It looks like your challenge is almost up, Cyan! I don't see you getting out of this one!"

Cyan grabbed his final Poké Ball and threw it forward. Brionne exploded from it and emerged next to Oranguru. The two looked at one another before making funny faces.

Sophocles laughed once again. "A Water-type?! Haven't you been paying attention?! You fool!"

"You're very loud," Cyan groaned.

He's got one or two more tricks up his sleeve. Don't count him out yet. Kala thought. She was rather annoyed with how the young trial captain was acting.

Vikavolt glanced at the two Pokémon. He was starting to feel the damage from the previous attacks, and his movements were slower, but only slightly. Without giving Cyan the chance to make his command, he charged forward once again, his pinsirs now glowing bright white.

"Slow it down with Icy Wind!"

Brionne opened his mouth released a cold stream of wind across the field. It connected with Vikavolt, slowing down his path of destruction, but not putting a stop to him completely.

"And now Confusion!"

Oranguru pointed his two hands at Vikavolt, and the Bug-type finally came to a stop. It struggled and flailed around, but then it started to charge electric energy within its body once again.

"We have to finish it quickly!" Cyan yelled. "Aqua Jet and Zen Headbutt!"

Both of Cyan's Pokémon bounded forward, forcing Oranguru to release his attack. They were engulfed in their respective energy from their attacks, but seconds before they could connect, Vikavolt made its move, clamping down with dark green energy across Oranguru's chest.

"Mwahaha!" Sophocles cackled as Oranguru fell to the ground. "An attack like Bug Bite is going to wear down your Oranguru with ease! You stand no chance!"

Oranguru took a few steps back. He held his hand out, as though to keep Brionne from getting any closer.

"Don't worry, Oranguru," Cyan said. "We got this!"

Oranguru looked back at Cyan, noticing the bracelet around his wrist was glowing with blue energy. Brionne leapt back and let the energy surge throughout his body. He raised his arms as he and Cyan started to strike synchronized poses.

"Wait! I totally forgot that he hasn't used a Z-Move yet!"

"Brionne, use Hydro Vortex!" Cyan yelled.

The energy in the air shifted, and Oranguru jumped out of the way as Brionne started his attack. He lifted his two paws into the air, creating what appeared to be a whirlpool out of nowhere. It doubled in size within seconds before he launched it at Vikavolt. Before the Electric-type could do anything, he was absorbed by the water. Brionne then leapt forward, and using the currents of the whirlpool, tackled into Vikavolt multiple times. It wasn't too long, but the water soon dissipated, and both Pokémon fell to the ground.

"What?!" Sophocles yelled into the microphone.

Brionne happily clapped his hands together as he observed the results of his first successful Z-Move. The totem Vikavolt lay out unconscious on the floor in front of him while Oranguru calmly clapped his hands together in the back.

"We did it!" Cyan shouted. He ran onto the field to meet with Brionne. The Water-type leapt into his arms, soaking his shirt upon impact. He tried to lift him into the air, but Brionne was even heavier than Cyan, so the two collapsed. Oranguru howled with laughter as he watched the two fumble about on the ground.

Sophocles stared in shock at the scene, but his expression slowly morphed into a smile. He looked back at Kala, and then in a calm tone said, "Fun, right?"

"With this Electrium Z, you'll be able to transform any offensive electric attack into Gigavolt Havoc," Sophocles explained as he handed over the yellow crystal. He was now much more relaxed, and his usual glare had been wiped completely from his face.

"Thanks!" Cyan said happily. He let the new crystal shine in the light. "I'll try to find some use for it!"

"Your next trial is going to be Acerola's, and I should warn you, it isn't for the weak of heart. A lot of trial goers quit the challenge because of it," Sophocles said. "Good luck, though! I'll be rooting for you!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Back with the New Year! I think I'm going to post Awakening Alola on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Kickin' It In Kanto on Mondays and Fridays. I'm considering writing extra stories and making them a Friday thing, but I already have a lot on my plate.

One thing I'm going to do this year is start replying to reviews in my Author's Notes.

mortiz555 - "aw, I didnt get a pm from you questioning one of my characters. Guess they didn't make the cut. O xxh well XD"

Check your inbox, my dude. I've messaged you twice. I want to use both of the characters you wrote.

wisdom-jewel - "Very interesting chapter. I love how you putting in lore into this chapter. I do love it and it is a very nice add."

I actually don't know the Alola lore very well, so I'm afraid to mess it up.