Track 32 - Blinding Lights
Leinani took Kala's words to heart, and she didn't stop training for days on end, only breaking for sleep and food. Kaiko stayed close and even tried to do a few moves with Togedemaru. He didn't want to feel like a deadweight if another Ultra Beast had happened to attack again.
Leinani took on all challengers, and her Pokémon were eager to get stronger. She battled in the tall grass and on the beach so that Wishiwashi could also get in his fair share of reps. The only Pokémon who wasn't keen to fight for Leinani was her newest addition to the team, Turtonator. Anytime that she would call him into the battle, he would refuse to do any attacks that she commanded. He'd still manage to get in victories, but he'd do it his way.
And after days of training outside and on the beach, Leinani felt that it was finally time to visit Vast Poni Canyon. It was well known for being one of the more dangerous areas in Alola, and Leinani was unsure about bringing Kaiko along. However, he insisted, as he wanted to take pictures.
The rumors were true though, and upon entering the cavern, they were attacked by Pokémon from all angles. Leinani's band of Pokémon weren't afraid though, and they struck back twice as hard.
"Go, Boombox! Use Spark!" Leinani ordered as a Golbat flew straight for the team.
Charjabug jumped into the air while her body was engulfed with electricity. She tackled into the charging Golbat, knocking it out of the air. Golbat hit the ground with a splat and then quickly retreated. It examined Leinani and the group of Pokémon before determining that it was way out of its league. It flew away, its wings slightly sparking with electricity.
"And tell your friends!" Leinani snapped. She wiped sweat from her forehead and then turned to Kaiko. "You made sandwiches? Let's find a place to chill for a bit."
They continued through the caves of the canyon until they saw some light peeking from one of the many entrances. They could see some of the canyon on the outside, which would be a nice place to rest. Leinani's was eager to eat some of Kaiko's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so she wanted to dash. However, she didn't want to draw any attention to the group, as it'd just lead to more battles on empty stomachs.
"Leilei," Kaiko whispered while tugging on Lienani's black sleeve. She turned her head, finding another entrance of the cave. This one was different, and it didn't seemingly lead to more of the canyon. Instead, it was stone steps carved out from the caves. "That goes to the Altar of the Sunne and Moone!"
Leinani looked at the steps and recalled stories of the trainers who fought with legendary Pokémon at the altar. She was curious to see what it looked like, but she also knew that neither she nor Kaiko were allowed up there until they completed the island challenge.
"Wanna go look?" Kaiko asked.
Leinani's stomach grumbled, and she shook her head. "Not like you to want to break the rules, Kai. Let's eat. I need to focus on training. You can climb those steps in two years."
Kaiko was disappointed that Leinani didn't want to see the altar, but he was oddly impressed with her respect for the rules. Little did he know, she was just really hungry.
They exited the caves and sat down before Kaiko gave Leinani and her Pokémon food. He dropped pieces of berries into Wishiwashi's bowl, and then ate his own sandwich.
"So, you win this last badge, and then what?" Kaiko asked. "You have so many months to prepare for the Manalo Conference!"
"I guess I'll just have to perfect my team," Leinani said. "We'll have a long time to get our moves right. Maybe we can invent a new Z-Move or something."
"That's absurd."
"But we won't have time to rest! That's for sure!" Leinani said. Her Rowlet nodded in agreement.
"Smells great," a calm voice suddenly said.
The two looked up from their food, finding a blonde teenage girl standing nearby. She wore a white t-shirt that had been drips of paint splattered all over it. On her back, she carried a large backpack full of art supplies.
"Would you like some?" Kaiko asked.
"Is it vegan?" the girl asked.
Leinani rolled her eyes. "One of these hippies."
"I think it's vegan!" Kaiko said while reaching his hand out. "Try it!"
The girl took the sandwich and examined it before taking a nibble. She smiled and closed her eyes. "It's delicious. My name is Mina. I'm the trial captain on Poni Island."
Hearing this was enough to excite Kaiko. He started to bounce up and down, letting some of the jelly from his sandwich fall to the ground. Sandygast had no problem sucking it up though.
"I'm Kaiko! I'm going to take on the island challenge in a couple of years! This is my sister, Leinani! She's grumpy, but she's a gym challenger!" Kaiko exclaimed excitedly.
"Kaiko, Leinani, great names. It's nice to meet you both. You seem like a strong trainer if you managed to make it all the way here to just relax," Mina said. "The Pokémon here are really strong."
"Nothin' is stronger than my Pokémon though!" Leinani said, her mouth full of bread.
Mina looked over Leinani's Pokémon. "Most of your Pokémon aren't even fully evolved."
"That some kind of insult?!" Leinani yelled while standing and pointing out at Mina.
"Not at all. Just color me surprised."
"Go color yourself," Leinani muttered.
Mina focused back on Kaiko and smiled. Her expression was gentle, which made Kaiko's heart flutter. "I look forward to your challenge one day, Kaiko. Enjoy the canyon and be safe. It's beautiful here."
With that, Mina waved goodbye and walked away as she continued to eat her sandwich. Leinani ate her food angrily while she glared at the ground.
"Most of your Pokémon aren't even fully evolved," she said in a mocking tone. She stood up and pointed at Charjabug. "Boombox, are you ready to evolve, or what?"
Charjabug waved around her pincers in the air excitedly. She was more than ready. She just needed to be in the right environment, and she needed to fight a strong opponent.
"Then let's do this!" Leinani exclaimed. All of her Pokémon cheered and started to chant.
Kaiko and Togedemaru had yet to finish their sandwiches, and they watched on as Leinani and her Pokémon began to march away. Kaiko stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, picked up Wishiwashi's fishbowl, and followed Leinani and the group.
Now, Leinani wanted attention from the Pokémon in the canyon. She unplugged her headphones and let her music blare. It bounced off of the walls of the canyon, and she could see some Pokémon peek their heads out from their spaces in the caves. She wanted to fight with the baddest Pokémon around, which would inevitably lead to Charjabug's evolution.
"Ma!" a voice boomed from afar.
Leinani grinned as she examined the Pokémon. "Perfect!"
Leinani's opponent was jammed packed with muscles and stood up on two legs. He flexed his four arms in sequence, trying not only to intimidate Leinani, but also impress his herd.
"Machamp, the Superpower Pokémon. It grasps its opponents with its four arms and twists them up in an intricate hold. People call it 'the Machamp special'," Leinani's Pokédex chimed.
"Be careful, Leilei! This Pokémon looks tough!" Kaiko warned as he tucked away his sister's Pokédex.
"Boombox ain't afraid of this walking steroid mishap," Leinani said. "Use Spark!"
Charjabug didn't waste any time. Her body sparked, and she raced down the field. She leaped into the air and aimed directly for Machamp, but the Fighting-type was quick. He crossed his arms and struck as soon as Charjabug came within range. The two held out momentarily, but Machamp was stronger. He knocked back the Bug-type and then laughed. He flexed his two upper arms, but then shock came over his face as he felt sparks run throughout his body.
"Keep flexing, you fool!" Leinani said with a laugh.
Machamp glared, and he fought through the status condition, forcing himself to run across the small field. He lifted all of his arms and aimed to hammer down onto Charjabug.
"Dig!"
Before Machamp could hit the ground, Charjabug dug and disappeared. It didn't stop Machamp though, who hammered anyways. The field shook only slightly, but Charjabug was safe.
"I've seen Machamp use maneuvers like that to cause earthquakes," Kaiko muttered.
Leinani sighed. "It was a risk, but a wild Machamp is nothing but a bag of muscles."
Machamp looked up at Leinani and growled. He had heard enough of her insults, and instead of battling Charjabug, he figured he'd take it straight to the source. He stood up straight and then started to charge for the trainer.
"Now!" Leinani yelled.
Charjabug emerged from the ground and struck Machamp directly in the chin. Machamp fell back slightly, now stunned from the sneak attack. He tried to swing his fists, but the status condition stopped him in his tracks.
"Dumb jock," Leinani said. She raised her arm, and dark green energy swirled around her body. She struck poses alongside Charjabug, who could feel the power surge from within. The green energy engulfed them both, and then Leinani shouted, "Savage Spin-Out!"
Charjabug focused the energy and blasted a thick web from her mouth. The web quickly wrapped around Machamp, trapping him in a dangerous cocoon. Charjabug grinned and then ripped the connective string away, sending Machamp into a spin. With his multiple arms extended, he looked like a grey battle top, but once he slowed down, he stumbled and hit the ground, his backside sticking out.
The female Machop and Machoke laughed while the males collected their now disgraced leader. They never once took their eyes off of Leinani and Charjabug.
"You did it! I knew you could!" Leinani shouted excitedly. "I'm not sure if a Pokémon that weak will be enough-"
Charjabug raised her pincers into the air and let out a battle cry. Her body was engulfed by a blue light, making both Leinani and Kaiko grin from ear to ear. Slowly, she morphed, and her form changed and grew. The energy exploded off of her, revealing her new vessel.
"Vika!" she cried out. The color on her body had darkened. Her pincers had grown to be almost the same length as her body, and she now had wings which carried her off of the ground.
"Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. It has an organ that generates electricity in its abdomen. It concentrates energy in its strong jaws and fires off powerful jolts of electricity," the Pokédex informed the duo.
"Sweet," Leinani said happily. She ran to her new Pokémon. She wanted to touch Boombox's pincers, but she was slightly intimidated. Rowlet wasn't as nervous. She landed directly on the pincers and cheered for her friend.
"Volt!" the new Pokémon responded joyfully.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Leinani talks so much smack, and I'm all for it. I kind of wanted a simple chapter with Boombox evolving, so here we go! I'm gonna have to read through this one once or twice before I post it though, because… I've had so much coffee today.
Leinani now feels more prepared for Kala, and so she'll challenge the Dragon-type gym leader in the next chapter. Any predictions for how it'll go?
REVIEWS:
wisdom-jewel - "I wonder if Leinani would get more Pokemon. To have various types would be useful but that might make her have less of a bond with them. Too many Pokemon might not get time to shine but that's another problem. I hope she takes up her training seriously." - It's also difficult to flesh out all of the Pokemon's personalities if she catches a bunch more.
CrescentApple - "Whoa, a Turtinator? I wasn't expecting him to be Leilani's last pokemon. So... that makes Turtinator her most powerful pokemon, outside Wishiwashi. I liked the emotional impact an Ultra Beast had on the siblings. Really good character growth." - Turtonator might be... too strong for Leinani.
pokestets23 - "I wonder what the next change will be. Very excited to have it all play out! Turtonator is a powerhouse that is much needed on her team." - As her other Pokemon evolve, we'll see more powerhouses! Maybe Turtonator will get jealous.