Gamelover41592: Thanks
IllusionSign (Guest): I have been teasing them, yes.
Omni Spectator (Guest): Oh, things are only getting weirder from here.
So, I meant to do this last time, but I'm sorry for focusing too much on Emma over Kitty. I actually prefer her to Kitty, so naturally I've been focusing on her more. But this isn't like the last story where I had a reason to show more of Zoey over Mike (and even then, I think I focused more on him towards the end). But anyways, enough rambling!
As much as Emma and Kitty wanted to learn just what was going on, they knew that it would be best for them to keep moving. After all, they might be able to find someone who knew what they didn't.
"Wait, those were Pokémon?! I totally thought they were just plants!" Zossie exclaimed as she and Dulse walked over to the girls, who had just some Sudowoodo off with their new Z-Crystals.
"Great, one of the people I have questions about," Emma groaned internally.
"Calm yourself, Zossie," Dulse ordered. "Those must have been the Pokémon known as Sudowoodo. A most interesting Pokémon. I wish I could research them further."
"Gee, I wonder who that sounds like," Kitty whispered, playfully nudging Emma.
"They must be mimicking plant life in an attempt to avoid their weakness-water," Dulse continued. He and Zossie then took notice of the girls, doing their best to copy the Alolan greeting. "These Alolan Pokémon...they're all so unique. It's truly fascinating. But battling them is not easy. So, I challenge one of you to one we are accustomed to-Poipole!"
"I knew it! You can't just challenge people like that!" Zossie chastised her older partner. "Sorry, Miss Trainer. But do you think a battle would be okay?'
"I got it this time, Em!" Kitty assured her sister as she stepped forward, her hand on her Pokéball.
"I will warn you now," Dulse began. "Poipole can not be found anywhere in Alola." The battle then began. Kitty decided to play it safe and sent out Brionne. Dulse sent out Poipole and Kitty could see Emma reaching for her notepad out of the corner of her eye. Rolling her eyes, the battle began. In spite of not knowing what type Poipole actually was, Kitty was still able to win by simply having the stronger Pokémon.
"Yes! Well done, Kitty!" Emma cheered.
"I must research the reason for my defeat," Dulse said.
"Your Z-Power Ring, it's so pretty when it shines like that!" Zossie complemented Kitty.
"What are you suggesting?" Dulse asked. "That it might be like the beautiful light our ancestors once saw?"
"How should I know?" Zossie replied before turning back to the girls. "See you around, trainers!" WIth that, she and Dulse walked off.
"I swear, those guys are aliens," Kitty said.
"Honestly, with what Poipole actually looks like, I wouldn't be surprised," Emma admitted as they kept walking.
"You there, trainers. Can you come to my aid?" Emma and Kitty were about to enter the next town when Hapu, the granddaughter of the former Kahuna of Poni Island.
"Sure," Emma replied simply.
"Over here," The girl motioned them over. Two Team Skull Grunts blocked the path into the next town.
"Yo, yo, yo! Don't go turning your backside on us!" The first one snapped.
"And YOU TWO! You're those numbskull trainers from Melemele, yo!" The second one roared once he realized who the girls were.
"Look in the mirror and tell me who the numbskull is," Emma snarked as she crossed her arms.
"These scoundrels are Pokémon thieves. And you two are on familiar terms with them?" Hapu asked.
"You could say that," Emma replied.
"I'm sure you two know, but I'm Hapu," She continued. "Life in the big city sure is something else. Pokémon thieves roam around brazenly...hmm, I'll leave that one to you two."
"We're not thieves, yo!" The first grunt protested. "It's a legitimate business!"
"We got straight messed up in Melemele...got exiled to Akala, but we ain't going out like that!" The second grunt promised. With that, the grunt sent out his Pokémon, Drowzee. Needless to say, Torracat was able to make quick work of it. From the looks of it, Hapu didn't have much trouble either.
"Either you losers are getting easier, or I'm getting better," Emma taunted as she returned Torracat to his Pokéball.
"With all these losses, we're gonna anger our bosses!" The second grunt exclaimed. "These tears taste like salt, yo! It's your fault, yo!"
"Maybe you should consider a rhyming job, since you're not good at this one," Kitty snarked.
"Mudsdale, should we stomp these scoundrels?" Hapu asked. "It'll be a mess to clean up afterward, but I am willing if you are."
"Time for us to break out, yo! Gotta tell y'all peace out, yo!" The second grunt frantically said as he and his friend made a break for it.
"You'll be fine getting home?" Hapu asked the Drifloon she had been defending.
"Floo-oooonnnn!" With that, Drifloon floated off.
"Glad to see Drifloon will get home on her own," Hapu said with a fond smile. She then turned back to the girls. "I've got you two to thank for that. You're the Professor's daughters, right?"
"You got it!" Kitty proudly answered.
"I like the way you two handled yourselves in battle," Hapu commended. "Mudsdale and I are always wandering all about Alola to achieve our goals, so perhaps we will meet again someday. I am indebted to you for your aid, after all. Oh by the way, you might want to try your hand at a Battle Royale or two. Mudsdale here thinks you'd be well suited, given how strong you both are." WIth that, she hopped onto her Mudsdale and rode off.
Yet again, Emma and Kitty had decided to split up. Emma had wanted to explore more of the surrounding areas, while Kitty wanted to see what the Battle Royales had in store. The girls agreed to meet up at Royale Avenue. Emma's studies had taken her into Diglett's Tunnel. Inside, she found Olivia talking to two people in strange uniforms. They walked off and then Olivia walked over to Emma.
"Hmm? Oh, Emma, right?" Olivia asked. Emma merely nodded. "This cave is really something, y'know? It's overflowing with Diglett, and they're getting really out of hand. Mediocre trainers can't even get through!"
"Geez, that bad?" Emma asked. She had heard rumors that the Diglett were getting out of hand.
"Sadly," Olivia agreed. "But moving on. How's your Island Challenge going? Let me see what crystals you've earned."
"Of course!" Emma replied as she pulled out the crystals she'd earned.
"Ok, you're doing all right!" Olivia marvaled. "How's that Waterium Z going for you?"
"Can't really get any use out of it," Emma admitted as she rubbed her neck. "But my sister said that it's really good for her!"
Olivia nodded. "Make sense. But, judging by how well you and your team get along, I bet you guys can do some real damage. But Kiawe's Trial is next! Off to Wela Volcano Park you go!"
"Thanks for the advice," Emma replied. "Can't wait to battle you!"
"I feel the same way," Olivia said as she waved Emma off.
"Let's have a Battle Royale!" Kitty declared as she proudly walked towards the Battle Royale Dome. Sure, she had no idea what she was doing, but she could learn! Her good mood quickly depleted when she saw Gladion standing in front of the dome.
"Hmph. Why do I do this…?" He questioned himself. "Everytime something brings me down, I end up coming right back here again...come on, Null. We'll beat everyone who stands before us. We're going to be strong enough to protect them this time…" He then walked inside. Kitty was already going to head inside, but now she was more curious. Who was he talking about?
"Glad you could make it!" A voice called out. Kitty looked up to see...her dad dressed like a wrestler? He then walked over. "I'm here today, yeah, to spread the word, on yeah, about Battle Royal! They call me...the Masked Royal! Woo!"
"...Dad, what are you doing?" Was all Kitty could say.
"The Masked Royal!" Kukui snapped. Kitty jumped a little. She decided she was just going to play along. "I'm here to teach you, oh yeah, about the battle format passed down in Alola for generations...the Pokémon Battle Royale! Woo!"
"Alright, so how do these Battle Royale thingies work?" Kitty asked.
"Four Trainers! Four Trainers, yeah, each pick three Pokémon, yeah, for one big Pokémon battle, oh yeah!" The Masked Royal began to explain. "When one Trainer's Pokémon can't battle anymore, yeah, the Battle Royale ends! Whichever Trainer has taken out the most Pokémon, yeah, and has the most Pokémon left will emerge the winner! Woo! First, let's just give it a shot. Pick your Pokémon and let's do this!"
"Well, I've only got three, so this isn't that hard of a choice!" Kitty declared.
"Dude! It's the Masked Royal! I wanna battle! I wanna battle!" Kitty looked around to see that the speaker was none other than Hau. The Masked Royal just nodded, signalling his approval.
"You there!" The Masked Royal said to Gladion, who had been brooding nearby. "Come join in the fun! I'll be in the mix, too, yeah! And now we have our foursome! Woo!"
"What!?" Hau exclaimed. "Gladion too!?"
"Discovery! New experiences! Adventure! It's all yours if you want it! It's time for a Pokémon Battle Royale!" The Masked Royal declared as he headed into the arena. "Ready...fight!" Gladion walked in next, while Hau joined up with Kitty.
"I can't believe that the Masked Royal invited Gladion to battle with us!" Hau exclaimed. "All he's going to do is suck all the fun out of it."
"Actually, I overheard him talking to himself when I came in." Kitty admitted. "He said something about wanting to be stronger to protect someone,"
"You think he has a girlfriend?" Hau asked. Hau and Kitty silently stared at each other before breaking down into laughter.
"Whoa…" Kitty looked around the Battle Royale ring. There were four sides. Each side had a different color, as well as a different Pokémon mouth for the battler to walk out of. She came out of the Scyther, on the green side. Hau was yellow and he had stepped out of a Haxorus. The Masked Royal was on the red Charizard size. Finally, Gladion was on the blue Gyarados side. Everyone sent out their Pokémon, with Kitty opting for Brionne, Hau using Dartrix, the Masked Royal sent out a Rockruff, and Gladion sent out Type: Null.
"Okay, so I still have no idea what type Type: Null is and Dartrix beats Brionne," Kitty thought. She might not been as analytical as her sister, but she wasn't stupid. She knew what she needed to do to win. "Sorry dad."
"Dartrix, Magical Leaf!" Hau ordered.
"Type: Null, Tackle," Gladion said as Dartrix and Type: Null began to attack each other.
"Brionne, Bubble Beam!" Kitty ordered. Brionne did what she was told, attacking the Rockruff and knocking it out. The Masked Royal looked shocked, before smiling and returning his Pokémon to its Pokéball. The battle went roughly the same from there.
"The battle is over!" A voice announced. Kitty cracked a smile. That actually was pretty fun.
"So what do you think?" The Masked Royal asked once everyone was back outside. "It's easy to have a fun time with Battle Royale. Woo! You even have a shot at beating real tough opponents this way, yeah?"
"You were on fire during that battle," A voice said from behind the group. Everyone turned to see an extremely tanned young man walking over to them. Kitty knew him very well. "I hope you will bring that fire with you and burn up my Trial. The name's Kiawe, the Fire captain. You can get to Wela Volcano Park from Route 7. I'll be waiting on the peak. If you plan to see your Island Challenge through to the end, climb to the top with your strongest team! With that, he walked off.
"So, Kitty, Hau. How are your Trials going?" The Masked Royal asked. "I hope you and your Pokémon are working hard and havin' a blast. Woo!"
"But, Mr. Masked Royal, how'd you even know that we're doing our Trials right now?" Hau asked. Kitty face palmed. Was she the only person who could see through the mask? "Oh I get it! Because of our amulets, right? Well, I'm having a blast!"
"You better believe that me and my team are having fun!" Kitty declared.
Hau then turned to Gladion. "But why are you even here? Why would you wanna do a Battle Royale? You still trying to get stronger or something? Or maybe you just wanna make some friends? Heh heh heh!" Gladion didn't answer, choosing to just walk away. He then paused.
"I'm not here to play," He replied. "I'm here because you can't protect anything when you're weak." He then continued to walk off.
"...Wow, you're just a ray of sunshine, eh?" Hau asked, not expecting to get a reply. "I think you'd have a lot more fun if you just let yourself have fun with everybody else. You can do a lot more together, too!"
"You said it!" Kitty agreed. Hau then turned to the Masked Royal.
"Well, I don't know what his deal is, but I thought that battle was just plain fun!" He assured the man. "That's why I'm going to keep doing Battle Royales. And my Pokémon seemed to like them too!"
"As fun as they were, I gotta get going." Kitty admitted. "Emma and I promised to meet up before doing our Fire Trial!"
"Good luck!" Hau called after her as she headed out.
"...So dad has a wrestling persona?" Emma asked, making sure she had heard her sister right.
"Yeah, and I was the only person who could see through it," Kitty replied.
"Bet that was annoying,"
"You have no idea," Both girls laughed, before Kitty remembered that Emma still owed her a story. "So what happened with you?"
"I ran into Olivia in Diglett's tunnel." Emma admitted as she readjusted her bag. "We most likely just talked about the Alolan versions of Diglett."
"Nerd," Kitty teased. The girls laughed again as they headed towards Route 7.
Honestly, I did one Battle Royale and then completely forgot about it. Am I the only one who did that or did anyone else just completely forget about them. Anyways, next time, we head for one of the best Trials in the game. See you then!