Chapter 39 - "Devastating Drake!"
The Alola tournament was set to take place on Ula'ula Island. Kala and Lilo traveled together from Melemele Island. Upon arriving, they went to the garden to enjoy some momentary peace and reflect on the last few months. They knew that the battles ahead would not be easy. Neither one of them were too keen on entering the tournament. It made them both uneasy to battle so seriously after their friend disappeared, but as all of the adults had been saying, life goes on.
Their destination was Mount Lanakila, which was said to be home to some of the most dangerous Pokémon in all of Alola. The past couple of months, Kukui was overseeing a construction project there which would see the largest stadium in all of Alola be built. People from all around came to watch the one day tournament, which seemed to have scared away a lot of the wild Pokémon.
It only took them a few days to get to the stadium where Kukui was waiting for them. Kala and Lilo were treated to their own special rooms, and even Emma made it. Kala had hoped that she would have worn the black Alolan print dress that she gifted her a while back, but alas, Emma remained in her usual attire. She wore a dark grey hoodie over her jade t-shirt, and her black hiking boots were now covered in snow, and they weren't enough to keep the bottom of her black pants from getting wet.
At the moment, the three weren't aware of the other competitors, who were all said to be residents from Alola who had also taken on the Island Challenge in previous years. Two faces did stick out on the bracket. One was the face of a man with white hair and seemingly worn out eyes. It was the face of Guzma.
"No problem," Lilo said. "Right?"
Kala nodded. "No problem."
And the other was the face of Acerola who had been the Ghost-type trial captain during their Island Challenge. They had heard rumors that she was going to try to get away from doing the trials, and this only confirmed that for them.
"I heard that this isn't just to determine the champion," Emma said. "They're also looking for gym leaders and Elite Four members. We should all do our best."
When all eight of the trainers had collected and the audience was in place, the tournament festivities began. A small man with a long white beard and hair walked alongside Kukui to the middle of the battlefield. Kukui held a microphone in his hand, and he waited for the audience to quiet down before he began.
"Hello, everyone!" Kukui said to some light applause. "It is with great honor that I introduce everyone here today to a wonderful man! Everyone, please give it up for the president of the Pokémon League committee, Mr. Goodshow!"
The applause for Mr. Goodshow was much louder, and he took the microphone from Kukui before thanking him and waiting for the crowd to quiet down.
"It is my pleasure to be here today. As most of you know, we have established Pokémon leagues all over the world in places like Kanto, Unova, Kalos, and many more. It has been said for far too long that Alola is too small of a region to establish a league, but we're here today to prove that notion wrong. Today, we will be starting the Alolan Pokémon League by crowning the first ever champion. Consider today a test of Alola's strength. And please, support everyone! Let the tournament begin!"
The first round battle was set to be Lilo going against a teenager who was only a few years older than her. He was supposedly traveling in a different region when Kukui had called upon him to return for the tournament. He appeared rich, wearing an expensive looking suit for his age, and his teeth were white as snow.
"The following battle will be between Lilo Kalani from Hau'oli City and Xerxes ʻŌpūnui from Malie City. It will be a one on one battle, and the winner will be determined when one side's Pokémon are no longer able to battle! Trainers, are you ready?"
"Ready."
"Begin!"
"We've come back to Alola to win!" Xerxes declared. "And win we will! Go, Tsareena!"
A large, feminem Pokémon appeared on the field. It looked as though it had a thick waist and the lengthy flower that it had blooming from the top of its head fell down like long, flowing hair.
Tsareena is really powerful, and she's bound to have strong Fighting-type attacks. Those legs are made for kicking, so whatever it is that Lilo does, she has to be careful, Kala thought as she watched from the hallway.
Lilo grinned. "Go, Sandslash!"
Her icy spiked Pokémon materialized on the field, and he stretched out his claws upon seeing the Grass-type Pokémon. His demeanor had changed quite a lot since the battle with the legendary beasts, and he appeared much more relaxed.
"Tsareena, start us off with Leaf Storm!" Xerxes ordered.
His Pokémon started spinning as fast as she could, releasing a bunch of leaves around her body. They surrounded her before shooting forward, taking over the entirety of the stage, but Sandslash remained still, and Lilo looked as though she didn't quite want to give her order just yet. The leaves that connected with Sandslash seemingly just bounced off of him, and he looked bored.
"High Jump Kick!" Xerxes commanded.
The storm of leaves parted down the middle, and Tsareena quickly emerged. She stuck out her leg and prepared to kick. Now, Lilo decided to make her move.
"Dig!" she ordered.
Moments before Tsareena would have connected, Sandslash dove forward, and he disappeared into the ground. Tsareena kept her momentum, and she flew across the battlefield, crashing into the wall behind Lilo. It looked like this wasn't the first time this had ever happened to her though, and she quickly recovered before returning to the battlefield.
And then Sandslash emerged, uppercutting Tsareena into the air. The Grass-type was completely blindsided by the attack, and she fell to the ground with a hard thud.
Xerxes looked on, completely perplexed by what just happened, but his shock soon turned to relief as his Pokémon forced herself to stand back up. "We're not giving up!" he exclaimed.
"That's good," Lilo said calmly. "I don't want my wins to be that easy."
"Give 'em one more Leaf Storm!" Xerxes ordered, entering his plan b.
Tsareena bobbed her head back and forth, creating the storm of leaves around her body. This time though, she cloaked herself and charged.
I can't see her through the storm. He's using it defensively, which is very smart, Lilo thought.
"Swords Dance!" she commanded.
Sandslash rubbed his claws together, and they started to glow with a red veil. He seemingly ignored the oncoming storm, staying calm in the heat of battle.
"Trop Kick!" Xerxes yelled.
The storm divided down the middle, and Tsareena blasted through. Her leg stuck out as it surged with green energy.
"Slash!"
At the last moment, Sandslash twisted his body around, and the two Pokémon collided. It was a long claw against a powerful leg, and the two held out momentarily before they broke off from one another.
"I was prepared for Trop Kick," Lilo said, making Xerxes take a step back. "I know that it tends to lower the opponent's attack capabilities, but I think a Swords Dance did a good job at balancing that out."
"No!" Xerxes yelled. "Finish this with Play Rough!"
Tsareena was quick, forming a pink ball in her palm. She tossed it at the ground, making it explode into pink smoke, which surrounded Sandslash. She then dove into the smoke and disappeared. The two Pokémon clashed repeatedly. It couldn't be seen, but rather heard. Lilo remained calm though as she waited.
"Blizzard," she ordered softly.
The pink smoke whipped up, and it quickly dissipated as a chill filled the arena. Tsareena was blasted backwards by the force of the cold wind. Everyone held onto their hats to make sure that the powerful wind didn't blow them away, and once Sandslash ceased his attack, everything became clear.
The referee held up his flag. "Tsareena is unable to battle! Sandslash and Lilo win!"
The crowd was stunned into silence. Xerxes was said to be one of Alola's strongest trainers, and the fact that Lilo defeated him in such a dominating fashion was completely unexpected.
"She didn't even need a Z-Move," Kala muttered.
Lilo withdrew her Pokémon, and then she walked back towards the hallway while the announcer began to set up the next match. She met with Kala, and the two walked back to the locker room that had been set up. They passed by Emma before wishing her good luck.
The two sat together at a bench. Emma was up against a boy from Akala Island. He was a few years older than all of them, supposedly finishing his journey in other lands this year. He battled with a small bird Pokémon that used amazing dance moves to dazzle the crowd, but ultimately, Emma was able to scratch and claw her way to a victory with her dangerous Volcarona.
"That makes the semi-finals me vs. Emma," Lilo said quietly. She leaned forward and put her hand to her chin. "I don't know too much about her team, but I'm glad that she's already used Volcarona. Her Samurott is something to worry about though."
"I'm next," Kala said. She stood up. "Wish me luck!" She looked at the screen, taking note that her opponent was Acerola. The two walked side by side in the hallway, but they remained silent. Kala wasn't intimidated by Acerola in the slightest, but instead, she wanted to focus on getting her heart ready to perform in front of a crowd.
"The following battle will be between Kala Māhoe from Iki Town and Acerola Cabanos from Ula'ula Island. It will be a one on one battle, and the winner will be determined when one side's Pokémon are no longer able to battle! Trainers, are you ready?"
"Ready," the two said together.
"Go, Jangmo-o!" Kala yelled while throwing her Poké Ball onto the field. The youngest member of her team materialized, and he howled. He looked around, seemingly soaking in the cheers from the crowd.
Acerola smiled. "Such a small Pokémon. Are you sure it's ready?"
Kala didn't answer. She kept her stern expression on her face. She wasn't going to let Acerola get to her.
"Palossand, go," Acerola said softly while she lifted her Poké Ball. She didn't throw her ball into the air, but rather opted for the Pokémon to release itself from the ball. What formed in front of her was a pile of sand that looked as though it were possessed by something sinister. It took shape, forming what appeared to be a sand castle.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts, but the stories that I've heard about Palossand are terrifying," Kala muttered.
"It likes to take in young ones," Acerola said quietly. "Just like your Jangmo-o."
Mrs. Kokura turned to Kukui. "A lot of Kala's Pokémon haven't evolved, but from what I understand, they're still at a high level."
Kukui nodded. "Some Pokémon get comfortable in their forms, so they don't allow themselves to evolve. Some of them are stubborn. But sometimes, Pokémon can be high level but they are still missing something to get them to the next step. As of now, Kala is still nervous to battle, and I think that Jangmo-o can sense that."
"Begin!"
"Palossand, let's start with Sandstorm," Acerola ordered.
"Palo!" the Pokémon called out while releasing sand from its body. It started to spread across the field, whipping up a wind that started to blow it around. Soon, Acerola and Palossand were covered by the sand, hiding them from Kala and Jangmo-o.
"We have to be careful," Kala said. "Use Iron Defense!"
"Jang!" the Pokémon shouted back. He roared and his scales started to glow with a silver energy.
"Shadow Ball!" Acerola ordered.
Kala and Jangmo-o couldn't tell where it was going to come from, but they could hear Palossand forming energy from within the sandstorm. It then unleashed them forward, blasting from the right side of the field.
"Dodge it!" Kala commanded.
Jangmo-o was prepared for the attack, and he leapt into the air, avoiding it with ease.
"Dragon Tail!" she added.
As Jangmo-o came back to the ground, his small tail started to glow with arcane energy, and he ran towards the source of the Shadow Ball. He leapt forward and swung wide, cutting a hole through the sandstorm, but seemingly missing Palossand completely.
"Earth Power!" Acerola's voice called through the storm.
The battlefield trembled as Palossand used its energy to pull up part of the field. It tossed the large stone straight towards Jangmo-o.
"Slice through it!"
Without hesitation, Jangmo-o did a forward roll, cutting the large stone in half. He then continued his forward momentum, and before Acerola or Palossand could do anything he then struck with his arcane energy filled tail. Palossand howled with pain, not expecting such a strong attack from the smaller Pokémon. It then disappeared back into the sandstorm, hiding itself from Kala and Jangmo-o.
The Dragon-type then retreated from the sandstorm, finding safety in front of his trainer. He looked at the storm, trying to get a sense of where Palossand could be, but nothing. He couldn't even hear the Pokémon moving through the wild wind.
"Shore Up!" Acerola ordered.
For a moment, the sandstorm seemed to have come to a sudden stop. Slowly, it started to shrink in size, and it parted down the middle, revealing Palossand. The Ghost-type was absorbing some of the sand, and the wounds from Jangmo-o's previous attack faded away. Palossand's energy was restored.
Shore Up is a healing technique that is affected by the weather. If Palossand is caught in a sandstorm, then the effects of Shore Up are strong. It basically made Jangmo-o's previous attack mean nothing, Kala thought. We have to find a way to last through the sandstorm and then take it out.
"Palossand, use rapid fire Shadow Ball!"
"Fight back with Dragon Claw!"
Palossand, still hidden in the sand, began to unleash the balls of ghostly energy forward. They exploded from the storm at different points. Jangmo-o ran towards them, slashing ones that came close, but he followed their trail, an attempt at searching out Palossand. But then the Shadow Balls stopped, and Jangmo-o froze up. He looked around, seeing nothing through the thick sand. He tried to walk forward, but his back leg was stuck to the ground. He jolted around, meeting Palossand face to face.
"Palo!" the Pokémon cried out before unleashing one more ball of ghostly energy from its body. The ball exploded against Jangmo-o, tossing him backwards. He flew from the storm and landed near Kala's feet. The attack had done its damage, but Jangmo-o found the will to stand back up.
"Earth Power!" Acerola called.
The sandstorm blew out as the stones from before were tossed into the air with some form of kinetic energy. They crashed down directly onto Jangmo-o before Kala could make her defensive call, putting a sudden stop to the action. The audience froze as they looked at the stone, waiting for the referee to make his call.
As he started to raise his flag to declare Acerola the winner, the stones started to move. From the cracks, a white light pierced through, and an energy swirled around them. Then, they exploded off from where Jangmo-o was. A new, evolved form stood in Jangmo-o's place. He now looked rejuvenated but furious.
"Hakamo-o," Kala whispered to herself as she observed her grey Pokémon. He now stood up on his two hind legs, and the yellow horn on his forehead was much larger.
Acerola didn't appear taken aback by the sudden evolution, and she simply continued the match as though nothing extraordinary had happened. She lifted up her arm, revealing her Z-Ring. Quickly, she began to strike poses as a dark energy surrounded her and her Pokémon.
"Never-Ending Nightmare!" she declared as she hit her final position.
Palossand roared with energy, and the ghostly shadows blasted across the battlefield. Hands built from a dark purple energy emerged from the ground, and they reached for Hakamo-o.
Kala grinned. "Show them your power! Dragon Pulse!"
Hakamo-o wasn't shaken. He leapt into the air as the hands reached out. He formed a ball of arcane fire in his mouth and then unleashed it downwards. It exploded, tearing and ripping away at the ghostly energy, effectively cancelling the Z-Move.
"What?!" Acerola yelled, now in a state of panic.
Kala's Z-Ring started to glow, and she hit her first pose, sending arcane energy through the air. Hakamo-o howled as the energy swirled around his body, and his eyes lit up with blue flames.
"Devastating Drake!" Kala shouted.
All of Hakamo-o's energy surged throughout his body, and it focused at the front of his mouth before he unleashed it forward. The energy shot in a straight stream of purple flames. They engulfed Palossand completely, and the Pokémon cried out in pain. Once the attack ceased, Palossand remained still momentarily before it slumped completely.
The referee raised his flag. "Palossand is unable to battle! Hakamo-o and Kala are the winners!"
"Yes!" Kala yelled out. She ran onto the field and embraced her Pokémon. Hakamo-o, who appeared furious before, now became gentle, and he smiled back at his trainer.
"You did it!" Lilo called as Kala came back into the locker room. Emma was with her, and the three celebrated with hugs and high-fives before the next match-up was announced. Guzma made his way past them, avoiding their gazes. He still appeared rough and tough, but he was noticeably a lot quieter since Cyan went missing.
His battle was with a girl who had completed the Island Challenge a couple of years prior. Her Pokémon was a dual Rock and Flying-type that appeared to be some sort of meteor. While it was interesting, it stood very little chance against Guzma's Pinsir. Roughly halfway through the battle, it took a different form which enabled it to move faster and strike harder, but Pinsir's power was simply overwhelming.
And soon, the next round was set. The faces of Lilo, Emma, Kala, and Guzma were displayed on the board, and in only thirty minutes, the semi-finals would begin. The four stood silently in the backroom. It was as though it was destiny that they would make it this far.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I gave Acerola the last name 'Cabanos' after her English voice actor. I also just kind of think it fits the name Acerola. Anyways, we're moving onto the semi-finals with four of the people who battled against Necrozma. Kala will be using Cyan's Pokémon in her battle. Which of the four do you think she'll use?
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "The Pokémon league in Alola will begin soon and to prepare Kala completed her own island challenge. She plans on using both her and the four Pokémon Cyan put into her care. Can't wait to see how she does. I also wonder what Cyan is doing during the two months during the league besides looking for a way home. Maybe catching some new Pokémon (maybe they'll be ultra beasts) and maybe master Mega evolution with Venusaur. Who knows but I'm looking forward to findings out." - I don't really know how to respond to this without spoiling anything. Haha. I like your idea, but it's a bit off.
CrescentApple - "powerful chapter. I liked it. Im surprised Kala did so well in these island challenges. She saw what Logan (Cyan) had to go through, but to actually participate had to be an entirely different experience. This was a positive chapter, ba sense that, yes Cyan is gone, but they need to learn to move on. And it was done very very well." - Kala trained with Cyan on Exeggutor Island, so she also gained a ton of experience from that time. She mentioned that her Litten was able to take down an Exeggutor by itself.
