"Hey Ash?"
We were disembarking from the boat when something mildly important came to me.
"Yeah?"
"Is it just me or were we not supposed to battle Hala to complete the first Grand Trial?"
We stared at each other for a few moments, his eyes growing larger with realization as time passed by.
"Ahhhh, Professor Kukui!"
And there he goes. I heard a soft giggle from behind me.
"That was pretty mean, Jackie." Lillie scolded me, emphasizing her point with a potent finger wag. Beside her, Lana looked like she was holding back laughter. I shrugged.
"Eh, I don't think the old man is mean enough to hold it against us. Besides, I'm actually looking forward to battling him."
"Ralts, ralts!" Ralts piped up, looking utterly content in my arms.
At least she seemed to share my enthusiasm. In the anime, Hala didn't seem all that impressive, aside from using the Fighting Type Z-move. I'm not sure if it was a case of holding back against Ash or not. In the game, however, he was part of the Alola League Elite Four and most of the Elite Four members were kinda badass whenever they appeared in the anime. Not to mention how terrifying they could be in the manga. So I was pretty sure that the old man had some interesting tricks up his sleeve.
"What were we supposed to be doing on this island anyway?" I asked as we joined the rest of the group. Kukui beamed at us in excitement.
"First off, Kiawe's family generously offered us their home to stay in for the weekend. That means we get to spend today learning about the Pokemon Ranch and how they do stuff there. Tomorrow is a free day for each of you to explore the island. I do expect a short summary of the things you learned during this time when we get back."
Farm life in the Pokemon world had a lot of similarities with farm life in my original world. Milking the Miltank, herding the Tauros and cleaning the Mudbray all seemed like things you do with normal cows and horses. Riding the Stoutland around in search of treasure was new though.
"Alright, everyone." Kukui announced. "Kiawe's mom," he gestured to the smiling woman beside him, "has allowed us to use the ranch's Stoutland for a scavenger hunt! The one who finds the most interesting object gets a prize."
Oh right. This was Lillie's character arc where she fully gets over her phobia by interacting with Stoutland. Not that that's gonna be a problem anymore...
"Aaaah!"
"Come on Lillie, Ralts just wants a hug!"
"But, but, but-"
"Huehuehue~"
Yeah, that arc isn't really necessary at this point. Anyway, I have my own Stoutland so I begged off borrowing one.
"Ahhhh, I could spend the entire day lying here." I mumbled to myself as a I lazily lounged on Stoutland's back as he walked, careful not to jostle me too much. An unnecessary but appreciated gesture. He barked in what seemed like amusement before resuming his sniffing around. We spent the next half hour in silence, and I think I almost fell asleep when he barked. He sounded like he found something interesting so I sat up and slid down his fluffy back.
"What is it?" I asked him, now intrigued. He looked tense, almost like he did when I first gave him and Litten a surprise visit. I frowned. Stoutland was a serious, old Pokemon who acted as a combination of mentor and babysitter for Litten and Ralts. He's seen some shit and he doesn't really panic easily, bloody visits from terrifying murderlolis aside. He was still sniffing the air and glancing around the forested area around us warily. I bit my lip and started searching as well, abusing the heightened senses that being a Heroic Spirit gave me to peer through the thickening mist.
Wait...
Mist?
I blinked and patted myself down, as though that would let me know if I was using my Mist subconsciously or something.
"What the hell..." I mumble. I felt Stoutland beside me, sticking extremely close as though he wanted to hide me in his fur from whatever was out there.
It emerged from the mist slowly.
A blue, wooden shell.
A feminine figure within.
Glowing sapphire eyes.
I blinked.
"I think you're on the wrong island." I pointed out. It stared at me. Tapu Koko's gaze was judgmental and expectant, a War God looking for its next blood pumping battle. Totem Gumshoos' aura was protective and defiant, a guardian chosen by the land it protected.
This one was patient and knowing, a Death God who showed the living what they needed to see that they may do what they needed to do before their eventual, inevitable end. I gulped. Needling Ares was one thing, but Hades wasn't someone you picked a fight with willy-nilly.
"As exciting as it is to see a PokeWaifu stare at me like that, it is getting a bit awkward."
Silence.
"Uh, should I just go now?"
With a sudden bark, Stoutland darted up and grabbed something shiny that was headed straight for my face. I blinked.
"Do you just suddenly appear and throw random shit at people?" I shouted at the floating figure angrily before turning to see what Stoutland plucked from the air. It was a Z-Ring.
"I already have a Z-Ring, you- eh?"
It was gone and so was the mist. I didn't even notice despite having my Assassin hackles metaphorically raised. I shuddered.
"Stupid world, stupid island, stupid Counter Guardian expies." I muttered as Stoutland deposited the Z-Ring into my palm.
"I have no idea what to do with this and I don't think we can just submit it for the scavenger hunt." I told him. He let out something between an amused chuff and a nervous bark.
That night, I was plagued by the sounds of fire and battle.
No, this was not a cliche nightmare sequence scene. It was literal.
"Turtonator, Flamethrower!"
"Pikachu, dodge and use Quick Attack!"
"Shell trap!"
I groaned and turned to my side, meeting Lana's sympathetic eyes.
"Stupid shounen anime characters..."