Chapter 41 - "We Have Our Winner!"


Lilo took in a deep breath and she folded her arms while the two waited for their names to be called. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. "So, this will be our first ever battle."

Kala didn't know how to respond. She wasn't sure what Lilo was talking about. The two had battle countless times during their time at school.

"Our first official battle," Lilo clarified, understanding that Kala was confused. "The day we got our Pokémon, I battled Cyan. You were too nervous to battle in front of our classmates."

Lilo wasn't wrong. Kala hated battling in front of crowds, and she hated showing off for her classmates.

"And I don't count our little battle in the Battle Royale," Lilo said. "This is it, Kala. This is the battle I've waited so long for."

"I guess that it makes coming to this tournament worth it," Kala said quietly. "I'm still uneasy though."


"The following battle will be between Kala Māhoe from Iki Town and Lilo Kalani from Hau'oli City, and it is for the title of Alola League Champion! It will be a three on three single battle, and the winner will be determined when one side's Pokémon are no longer able to battle! Substitutions are not allowed! Trainers, are you ready?"

Kala and Lilo nodded.

"Let's begin!"

"Kala, I won't be going easy on you."

"Me too. I refuse to lose here."

"Toxapex, go!" Lilo called while throwing her Poké Ball forward.

A rather large blue Pokémon appeared in front of Lilo. It didn't look sentient immediately, but rather plant-like. Slowly, it opened up what functioned as its shell, revealing a small purple body with two yellow eyes hiding on the inside.

Toxapex is one of the most poisonous Pokémon in all of Alola, which is going to make it very dangerous. But it also has Water-type elements. If we can outspeed it, then we can do a lot of damage, Kala thought before grabbing her Poké Ball. "It's a risk we gotta take! Go, Dartrix!"

"I've learned a long time ago to not judge a Pokémon by its size or typing," Lilo said. "But when it comes to our match-up right now, you're in trouble. Toxapex, use Ice Beam!"

"What?!"

Toxapex kept her shell open while she unleashed a beam of light blue from her mouth. It raced across the field, freezing the ground that it flew above instantly.

"Dodge it! Use Ominous Wind!"

Dartrix was one step ahead of Kala, and he immediately flew into the air, avoiding the Ice-type attack. He circled around it and flapped his wings, building up a red energy around his wings. When Toxapex stopped, he sent the ghouly energy forward, blasting the entirety of Toxapex, but the Poison-type remained still.

Our attacks are mostly close-ranged, but we gotta see what else she can do before we really dive in for anything serious. I can't risk being poisoned right now, Kala thought.

"Bring 'em down!" Lilo commanded. "Hydro Pump!"

Toxapex lifted more of her legs into the air, allowing her more space to release her attack. She unleashed a heavy blast of water upwards, this attack much faster than her last.

"Keep moving!"

Dartrix tried to dive downwards to avoid the water, but it barely scraped his wing, sending him spinning. He quickly recovered, but the Toxapex released another blast, forcing Dartrix to the ground.

"Poison Jab!"

Toxapex lowered her legs, forming the entirety of her shell once more. Then, using all twelve of her legs, she bounded forward. Her front legs started to glow with a poisonous hue, and she jumped into the air.

"Leaf Blade!" Kala yelled desperately.

Dartrix weaved as his wing started to glow with a green energy. He got directly under Toxapex, targeting her small body. He swiped, slashing her directly and forcing her into the air. She landed hard on the ground and then recovered, becoming still once more.

"Let's force her out! Hit her with Brave Bird!"

Dartrix flew into the air, and a red energy exploded from his body once he reached a high altitude. He shifted and pointed down towards, darting directly for Toxapex.

"Use Baneful Bunker!" Lilo ordered.

Toxapex remained still, but she started to glow with poisonous energy.

"Stop!" Kala yelled, but it was too late.

Dartrix crashed into Toxapex, sending smoke into the air. The Grass-type was instantly flung from the smoke, taking damage from his own attack. He winced and then fell to the ground as a purple hue started to surround his body.

"No…" Kala muttered. Baneful Bunker not only protects Toxapex, but it also poisons anything that comes into contact with it. The longer that Dartrix remains in this battle, the harder it's going to get for him. Whatever we do next, we have to finish this quickly.

"For someone who studied so much in school, you seem to fall for the most obvious tricks," Lilo said. "I told you I wouldn't take it easy on you, and I was serious."

"We're just getting started!" Kala snapped back. "Dartrix, one more Ominous Wind! Move forward!"

Dartrix fought through the pain, and he flew forward, creating the ghoulish energy with every inch he moved. He then unleashed it at Toxapex, getting a direct hit, but the Poison-type appeared unaffected by it.

"Use your Poison Jab!"

Now that Dartrix was within striking distance, he was an easy target. Toxapex snapped forward, and her front leg began to drip with poison. She reached out and jabbed, ready to do her damage.

"Protect!"

Moments before the attack would have landed, a blue force field appeared in front of Dartrix's face. Toxapex ricocheted off of it, leaving herself wide open for Kala's next attack.

"Leaf Blade!"

With one swift uppercut strike, Dartrix sent Toxapex reeling backwards. The Poison-type's body dragged against the ground, leaving her open for one more attack. But before Kala could give her order, Dartrix collapsed. The poison had done its job, and Dartrix fainted where he stood.

"Dartrix is unable to battle! Toxapex is the winner!" the referee declared.

"No," Kala mumbled. "It's way too early." She looked down, noticing that her hands were shaking. Then, she had the realization that her entire body was wobbly. The fact that she was able to remain standing was something that surprised her, because her knees felt like they could give out at any moment.

"C'mon, Kala!" Lilo snapped. "You can do better than this! I know you can! You've always been a nervous battler, but you need to get over that. Trust that you and your Pokémon can get the job done, and then get the job done!"

Kala took a deep breath. "You're right. We won't lose."

"Mrrreow," Litten, who sat calmly at her feet, said.

She nodded in response. "You're up."

Litten stretched her shoulders and then ran onto the field. She glared at Toxapex who's yellow eyes looked back through the darkness.

Kukui sat back next to Mrs. Kokura. "Kala has been so afraid to battle, and I think that Litten can sense that. I think she's chosen to stay a Litten as to not put pressure on Kala."

"You think so?" she wondered.

"I have an experience with the evolved form of Litten, and generally, they love to fight. It seems like Kala and Litten don't take pleasure in battles necessarily. They only battle when necessary," Kukui explained.

"My kids loved battling," Mrs. Kokura said softly. "Right now, I can see the look in Kala's eyes. She doesn't want to lose, and I think something is going to click real soon."

We're at another type-disadvantage. If we're hit with one Hydro Pump, we're finished, and I can't get too close because of Baneful Bunker. We have to rely on distance for the time being, Kala thought. "Flamethrower!"

"Hydro Pump!"

The two Pokémon unleashed their attacks, and the blasts of fire and water met in the middle of the battlefield, sending a giant explosion into the air, filling the stadium with smoke.

"Go!" Kala's voice called.

Lilo was unable to see what exactly the Fire-type was doing, so she went with her only safe option. "Baneful Bunker!"

Everyone in the stadium waited while the smoke slowly floated away and dissipated. When everything finally became clear, it revealed the two Pokémon, sitting only a few inches from one another. Litten sat calmly on her rump while Toxapex used her defensive attack.

"What?" Lilo wondered.

"Flamethrower!" Kala shouted.

At close-range, Litten unleashed the flames from her mouth once more. They engulfed Toxapex, but the Poison-type remained in her shield. The two Pokémon didn't connect directly, so Litten didn't suffer through the same poisonous effects that ailed Dartrix before.

"Poison Jab!" Lilo commanded with a grin on her face.

"Crunch!"

Toxapex lifted one of her legs, and she jabbed forward with it, but Litten was way too fast. She simply ducked under the leg and then dove into Toxapex's darkness. Between the two, there was a howl and a pained screech. A dark energy exploded from inside of Toxapex's shell, and then Litten retreated. Toxapex slumped, and all of her legs buckled, making her fall to the ground.

"Toxapex is unable to battle! Litten is the winner!"

Lilo retrieved Toxapex and then drew out her next Poké Ball. "I'll be honest with you, this has always been one of my dreams. I was disappointed when you chose to not do the Island Challenge by my side. I was afraid that I was going to get so far ahead of you. But here we are now. We're fighting for the right to be the first Alolan Champion."

Kala never had any intentions to ever do something like this. Her dream was never to be part of Kukui's league, but she had to admit that standing across the battlefield from her childhood best friend in what was the most important battle in Alola's history was fulfilling.

"Passimian, go!" Lilo yelled while she threw her Poké Ball forward. A simian Pokémon with large shoulders appeared on the field. In its massive hands, it held onto what looked like a big seed. It hunched over and huffed, preparing for a fight with Litten.

Kukui glanced over to Oranguru who calmly sat next to Mrs. Kokura. "Passimian is considered to be the counterpart to Oranguru. It would have been interesting to see how Oranguru would have done against it, but I guess that Kala has other plans."

Mrs. Kokura ran her fingers through Oranguru's hair. "I've learned that Cyan's Oranguru doesn't like to battle as it is. He'd rather relax, and I can appreciate that."

Passimian is a Fighting-type, so Dartrix would have been a good fit had he lasted. My next choice won't fare too well either, so I have to do as much as I can with Litten. If we're lucky, we might be able to win this fight, but I'm sure Lilo has trained Passimian well, Kala thought.

"Passimian, start things off with Iron Tail!"

He's getting in close, Kala thought as the simian Pokémon took off down the field. Litten looked back towards Kala for an order. "Flamethrower! Keep him at a distance!"

"Mrrreow!" the Pokémon screeched before unleashing flames onto the field. Passimian was incredibly fast though, and he was able to duck under the stream of fire. Once he reached Litten, he punched the ground and then twisted around, slamming his iron hard tail into the entirety of Litten's small body. The Fire-type dragged against the ground, but she quickly found her footing, although she had staggered.

"Seed Bomb!" Lilo commanded.

In one fluid motion, Passimian did a forward flip while charging the massive seed he held in his palms. It started to glow with a white intensity before he flung it forward.

"Flamethrower!" Kala ordered once more.

Litten followed the instruction and unleashed the flames from her mouth. The flames blasted into the seed, and the moves cancelled out one another, causing a small explosion to fill the stadium.

"Flare Blitz!" Kala yelled.

"We'll meet them halfway!" Lilo said. "Giga Impact!"

Both of the Pokémon started forward, and the energy that they produced from their bodies parted the smoke down the middle. Fire burst from Litten's body and she started forward while white energy exploded from the front of Passimian's face. The two Pokémon collided, and their energy mixed together, seemingly blowing the smoke from the previous attacks away completely. They were knocked backwards, landing on their legs in front of their respective trainers.

Giga Impact forces Passimian to recharge for a short while, so I have to make this work, Kala thought. "We have to go all out now! Outrage!"

The fire that had surrounded Litten shifted, and it turned a dark blue. Her eyes became filled with rage, and she bounded down the field. Passimian was frozen in place from the power used in his previous attack. The only thing that he could do was take the attack. Litten swung her claws wildly, slashing at Passimian with arcane energy. Passimian was knocked backwards, did a roll, and then he shot a glance at Lilo.

"Reversal!"

Litten struck once, and this time when Passimian rolled back, he grabbed ahold of her paw. With one swift movement, he twisted his body, and then slammed his forearm into the back of her head, knocking her roughly halfway across the field. She landed with a hard thud against the ground, and her body went still.

"Litten is unable to battle! Passimian is the winner!"

With a move like Reversal, Passimian is bound to get stronger with each blow he takes. I'm going to be in trouble the longer this battle goes on, Kala thought as she retrieved Litten with the red light of her Poké Ball. Her eyes locked with Lilo's, and she bawled up her fist. And Passimian isn't even her strongest Pokémon. She still hasn't used Decidueye throughout this tournament, and I know that if I can manage to defeat Passimian, we're going to have trouble with it.

Kala slowly reached for her Poké Ball. She had one final Pokémon left in the tournament. She gripped it tightly and then tossed it into the air. Lycanroc burst forth and materialized on the field. She howled before getting low.

One hit from Reversal or Seed Bomb and Lycanroc is going to be in a tough position. We're going to have to continue to outspeed Lilo. But if I used Accelerock, she'll know it's coming. I can't be predictable, Kala thought.

"You're putting a lot of thought into this," Lilo said. "Don't disappoint me."

"We won't!"

"Seed Bomb!"

"Use Stone Edge!"

As Passimian ran forward and prepared to throw the seed, Lycanroc roared, ripping up stones from the ground. But instead of using them offensively, Lycanroc created a shield around her body. Passimian tossed the seed downwards, and it exploded upon impact.

"Rock Climb!"

The front of the Stone Edge shield parted open, and Lycanroc came barreling through, tearing up the ground with her movements. She then leapt through the air and tackled Passimian, driving him into the ground. Passimian's body slumped, and he soon fainted.

"Passimian is unable to battle! Lycanroc is the winner!"

Lilo let the red light from her Poké Ball retrieve Passimian before she looked up at Kala. She smiled and drew out her final Poké Ball. "This has been fun, but I think we should finish this." With that, she threw her Poké Ball forward, and Decidueye emerged.

The two Pokémon stared each other down, waiting for the trainers to make the first commands for battle. Lycanroc was by no means in bad shape, but the previous attacks done to Passimian had worn her down slightly. She didn't let Decidueye see it though.

"Accelerock!" Kala ordered.

"Lycan!" the Pokémon barked as she bounded forward. Rocks began to materialize around her body as they prepared to jab into Decidueye, but Lilo had the perfect counter strategy.

"Sucker Punch!"

A shadowy energy formed around Decidueye's wing, and he crouched down. As soon as Lycanroc was within striking distance, he jabbed, punching Lycanroc in the throat. The Rock-type stopped and took a few steps back as she gasped for air.

"Spirit Shackle!" Lilo commanded.

With one quick smooth motion, Decidueye span around. He formed an arrow of ghostly energy at the edge of his wing before launching it forward. It twisted throughout the air before landing directly in front of Lycanroc, stabbing into her shadow. And then, without much warning, it exploded, but Lycanroc was trapped in place.

"She can't escape!" Lilo said. "Brave Bird!"

As the ghostly energy started to fade away, Decidueye jumped into the air, finding himself between Lycanroc and the sun. A white energy exploded from his body, and he began his quick plummet back towards the ground.

"Defensive Stone Edge!" Kala ordered at the last moment.

What followed was an explosion, so it wasn't clear whether or not Lycanroc was able to get up her stone shields. For a moment, they were shrouded in smoke, and it slowly started to dissipate. As soon as the result became clear, Kala made her order.

"Put everything you got into Crunch!"

The stones had come up in time, so Decidueye was rattled. They had been mostly destroyed by Decidueye's attack, but Lycanroc was protected. She broke from the remains of her ghostly shackles and then emerged from the rubble with a black energy around her jaws. With one quick motion, she snapped forward and clamped the massive energy down. Decidueye screeched as his body was tossed to the side.

Kala observed the field. Both Pokémon had been dealt massive damage, and it was looking as though the super-effective attack had done its job.

"Stone Edge!" she yelled.

Lycanroc howled, and the rubble around her began to stir. Five more massive stones arose from the ground, and then with one more howl, she sent them forward. They scraped across the field, as Lycanroc didn't have the full energy to do the attack, but they were still a danger to Decidueye.

"Slice through them with Leaf Blade!" Lilo yelled.

Both of Decidueye's wings were covered with a green energy. He slashed forward as he took into the air. Easily, he sliced through two of the stones. One made direct contact, and then the other two followed, burying him. For a moment, they were still as Decidueye struggled to get back to a standing position.

"Rock Climb!" Kala ordered.

"Rock!" the Pokémon yelled before leaping into the air. She dove into the ground and began to shoot across the battlefield like a missile. But Lilo did nothing, simply smiling at Kala's mistake. Then, Lycanroc blasted straight through Decidueye's ghostly form.

"Gotcha!" both Lilo and Kala said in unison.

"Leaf Blade!"

"Crunch!"

The two Pokémon turned towards one another. A mixture of pitch black energy exploded with green energy, sending a blast of light throughout the stadium. The crowd watched in awe as they waited for the results of battle.

When the light and smoke finally faded away, both Pokémon still remained standing. They both breathed heavily, indicating that the end was only one move away.

Win or lose, I'm glad that I've made it this far. Cyan's Pokémon, my Pokémon, and myself. We've fought so hard for this, and we've come together, Kala thought. "One more attack! Let's go!"

The two trainers held out their arms. A ghostly energy radiated from Lilo's wrist, while Kala's wristed glowed orange. In synchronization, the trainers and the Pokémon began to strike poses. With every new pose, energy surged through the stadium. Every person that sat in attendance could feel their hearts beat to the moves that the trainers were doing. And then, Kala and Lilo hit their final pose, and all of the air was sucked from the stadium. It began to shake as the Pokémon focused all of their energy into two final attacks.

"Splintered Stormshards!"

"Sinister Arrow Raid!"

Lycanroc howled, and the ground below her ripped up into the air, carrying her. Slowly, the ground started to crack and break off, creating sharp stones and rocks that she prepared to attack with. Meanwhile, the ghostly energy that swirled around Decidueye's body started to take a form, turning into arrows. They slowed down and then pointed upwards, finding a target in Lycanroc.

Then, the two Pokémon unleashed their attacks. Shards of stones and rock rained down from the heavens while arrows made from ghostly energy shot into the air. They pelted into one another, creating small explosion after small explosion until the sky was filled with smoke and dust which cloaked both of the Pokémon, hiding any damage that they may have taken.

Slowly, the dust faded away, revealing that only one Pokémon had made it through the attacks. Laying flat on the ground was the Dusk form Lycanroc. Decidueye remained above her, but only moments after the referee raised his flag to make the call, did she finally allow herself to collapse.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle! Decidueye and Lilo are the victors!" he declared.

"We have our winner! Lilo Kalani!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Emma, the professor, and others that were allowed onto the field gathered together. They all surrounded Lilo, and everyone exchanged high fives and hugs. Kala crossed her arms but smiled. She ran onto the field towards Lycanroc and then knelt down.

"We did great today, eh?" she asked.

Lycanroc opened one eye and managed to smile at the trainer.

"I think Cyan would be proud," Kala added. She returned the Pokémon back to her ball and then looked up at Lilo. She winked before they were both ushered to the side where they could stand on the podium together.

"Lilo, I'd like to bestow upon you this trophy!" Mr. Goodshow said. "With this, you will be officially declared the Alola Champion!"

The crowd cheered, and Lilo looked around. She found one person who wasn't on their feet jumping up and down. Instead, she was sitting and lightly clapping. It was Cyan's mom. She had a smile on her face, but Lilo and Kala could tell that she was still hurting. Goodshow tried to hand over the golden trophy, but Lilo kept her hands at her sides, seemingly unaware of what was going on.

"Lilo?" Kukui wondered. "You okay?"

Lilo nodded, and then she looked at Mr. Goodshow. "Can I have the mic, sir?"

Goodshow appeared confused but smiled nonetheless. He grabbed the microphone, flipped its switch, and then handed it over. Lilo held it nervously in her hands and then got closer to it. It screeched throughout the stadium, so she withdrew her head back slightly.

"Thank you," she said softly. "It was an honor competing today."

The crowd cheered again.

"But, I'd like to respectfully decline the trophy and title of champion."

The crowd started to become quiet, and those who remained cheering were now confused.

"I think that it'd be irresponsible for someone my age to be the champion if we want to be taken seriously," she said. "I also believe that there is someone else more deserving of the title. As some of you have already heard, a boy saved the Alola region a couple of months ago."

The crowd was now completely silent, and Lilo tried to not let her emotions get to her. She continued her speech, "Myself, alongside Kala, Emma, and a few others fought with this boy. Unfortunately, at the end of the battle, the boy disappeared. But I never want his impact on Alola to disappear, and I think that we should honor him."

"She didn't mention me," Guzma grumbled to himself from the hallway.

"I'm very glad that I won today, and I want to do my part to help Alola maintain a strong league, but I want to decline the title of champion. Instead, I want the first champion of Alola to go down in the record books as a boy named Cyan Kokura. He deserves that title more than anyone else. He earned it."

Kukui looked at Mr. Goodshow, and they whispered to each other for awhile. They nodded, and then Mr. Goodshow asked for the microphone back. Lilo obliged, and then Goodshow put the mic to his mouth.

"This is a bit of a complicated issue, but I think we can manage something. I see no issue in recognizing Cyan Kokura as the first ever Alola Champion if that is what you truly wish. And as for who will go on to be the champion for Alola moving forward, we will decide at a later date!"

The crowd cheered, and Cyan's mom was brought to tears. She smiled at Lilo before nodding and mouthing, "Thank you."

Kala bit her lip to hold back her tears, and Lilo wrapped one of her arms around her shoulders.

"But it's your dream to become the champion," Kala said.

"Not of Alola."


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So, complicated. Lilo wins, but declines the position (she didn't want to enter as it was, but rather did it as a favor to Kukui). The tournament won't all be for not though, because it was kind of a testing ground to decide on gym leaders and Elite Four members. We'll wrap up this story next chapter. I want to go over a little bit of the fallout from the tournament. Who do you think the champion will end up being?

Been feeling a bit down recently, so honestly, thank you all for reviews and such. I truly appreciate it. Even when I stumble and I write bad chapters/have bad ideas, I still love all of your feedback. Just wanted to add this in while I could.

REVIEWS:

pokemonking0924 - "It's down to Lilo and Kala, two best friends battling it out in the finals. Lilo hasn't used a z move during this tournament, in fact I don't remember the last time I've seen her use one. I wonder if she's trying to pover that she doesn't need z moves to win. As for Guzma e battle hard as expected but Kala really pulled through with Cyans Pokemon, they might have a bond just as strong as their original trainer. Looking forward to seeing the next battle." - I wanted to hold off on Lilo doing a Z-Move until it was absolutely necessary. She's a bit cocky (for good reason), so she felt like it wasn't needed until her battled with Kala.

CrescentApple - "Sister vs Sister. A few chapters ago I would have said Lilo. Now... who knows" - You would have been correct! Well, they're not sisters, but they're definitely close enough to where they could come off that way.

wisdom-jewel - "I knew Emma wasn't going to win her next battle. I think it is a good idea for Kala and Cyan didn't battle the same. It would make sense that they would have different tactics and countertactics during any battle. And I can't wait to see who would win and who becomes the Elite Four and gym leaders." - Next chapter will reveal most of them! We'll also get in a farewell for Emma.