As always, thank you very much to The King of Emerald for Beta Reading this story to fix my stupid mistakes. I would also like to thank Umbruhon for reviewing Chapter 3, as well as everyone who reads this story.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and if you like the story or want to make suggestions, feel free to leave a review.
Jason sighed, having just gotten though a detention session with Wes. The student teacher was walking out of the regular classroom, rubbing his head. He was so angry about Wes stealing the amulet, as well as discovering that Wes was to be chosen anyway, that the second he got back from Verdant Cavern, he caught Wes and gave him his detention immediately. It was close to dinner time that Friday, and Jason had still failed to report to Samson about his findings at Aether Paradise. Wasting no more time, he power walked into the office of the cousin of Samuel Oak. "I'm extremely sorry, sir. I got caught up in something else..."
"Giving Wes his punishment, were ya?" Samson asked, though he seemed to already know the answer, as he was smiling a knowing smile. "No harm done. Now, what did you discover while you were at Aether Paradise?"
"According to the employees, one of their pokemon escaped," Jason reported. "Which one, I don't know. They did not want to tell me, and when I began asking 'too many questions', I was kindly escorted out of the facility."
"Most curious," Samson muttered, scratching his head. "And most suspicious as well. The fact that they wouldn't give us the identity of the pokemon in question is most troubling."
"You don't think this has to do with the Ultra Beasts, do you?" Jason asked, with a look of worry. Despite being the Kalos League Champion, even he was unsure when it came to these strange creatures.
"We cannot say for sure," Samson admitted. "The pokemon that had escaped could be anything, native to Alola or not. We should keep tabs on the news and other sources, and I will let the Kahunas know what happened so they can keep an eye out for any suspicious pokemon. In the meantime, continue with your work with Kukui's class... and keep an eye out for Team Skull, will you? They seem to be more active then usual."
Jason nodded. "I understand."
XxXxXxX
The weekend passed so quickly, that every student there swore all they did was blink and they missed it, however for Wes this was fine. He had yet to show off his z-crystal to his fellow classmates, and the second Monday rolled around, he made sure he got his chance. "So, this giant Gumshoos came down from out of nowhere, surrounded by this golden aura, then-"
Rose groaned, turning the page in a school book she was attempting to read. "I really wish he would shut up."
"How accurate is his story?" Lillie asked, who was sitting in the desk next to Rose.
"I'm the one who told him to go check the dens," Rose stated.
"Then I told Rose she should use Leer on it to weaken it's defenses," Wes continued.
"And I used Leer by my own accord, thank you," Rose said, a bit loud so that some of the students listening to Wes looked back at her before continuing to listen to Wes retell the story. Rose sighed, slamming the book shut. "He is full of himself."
"Maybe you can beat him in another battle," Lillie suggested.
Rose sighed, irritation clear in her voice. "Maybe, but I don't think beating him will do anything. Sure, after I beat him the first time I caught him actually training seriously, but I think all me beating him again would do is waste my time."
"And just as Rose was giving up hope, I-" Wes was saying.
"And that will have to be the end of your story for now," Kukui's voice said, as he walked through the door. Some of the students groaned a bit, but for the most part they scattered without a fuss. One boy in particular, blonde haired with a green shirt, white backpack and white pants, walked past Rose and whispered to her, "I know you were the one who really did the most work in that trial."
"Thanks Jaun," Rose whispered back.
"I hope you guys have swimming wear," Kukui announced, grinning widely. "Because I decided today we are going to take a field trip to my lab on Route 1, specifically the private beach I own there!"
Amidst the mummers of excitement, Jason cleared his throat. "Hold on, guys. This isn't just for playing in the sand or swimming in the ocean now."
Kukui nodded. "Jason is correct. You guys are going to take notes on the habitats of the aquatic pokemon that live in the secluded area, as well as studying the reactions of pokemon not used to beach like environments. For that, each of you will use your own pokemon, as well as taking notes on how everyone else's pokemon are acting. It's more like a play date for the pokemon, rather than you guys." Several students groaned, but Kukui continued. "Most of you should know how to get to my lab from here. If you don't-"
"You can literally see it from here," Jason stated, pointing out the window towards the familiar looking wooden building in the distance. "It's about a 15 minute walk, give or take."
"What if we don't have swim wear?" Rose asked. "I, uh, didn't pack any since I didn't think we would ever go to the beach."
"No harm done," Kukui grinned, pointing in the other direction outside of the window. "The clothing store has swim wear, so go down there and pick out one. We'll meet down by my beach in an hour, so till then, you are dismissed."
"Make sure you don't skip this," Jason warned, raising his voice so he could be heard over the students talking excitedly as they got up. "I'll know if any of you skip!"
"You got a pair of trunks, Wes?" Jaun asked, his hazel eyes locked onto the silver haired teen. "I kinda forgot to pack a pair.
"I brought a pair, but I doubt they fit anymore," Wes stated, shrugging.
"Last time we went swimming was when you were 11, and you did grow since then," Nayru stated.
"In that case, let's go with the girls." Jaun suggested, gesturing over to Rose and Lillie, who were talking to one another. They noticed Juan gesture, and both walked over, with Rose giving Wes a dirty look that made the teen look at her weirdly.
"You boys need some swim suits as well?" Lillie asked. "We might as well go together, then."
"Though I would rather he not come along," Rose growled, glaring at Wes.
"Oh, come on, what did I do?" Wes asked.
"We both put in the effort to accomplish that trial," Rose snapped, crossing her arms. "And if you can recall in that thick skull of yours, I was the one who thought of weakening his defenses with Leer. Don't make yourself seem like the hero in your little retellings."
"Ok, so maybe I exaggerated on the details, but I was the one who motivated you when you were crying on the ground giving up hope," Wes shot back.
"I was not crying, you insufferable turd!" Rose yelled, her arms crossed so tight it looked as though she was trying to physically keep herself from strangling Wes. "Sure, I was distressed, but I bet if you weren't reckless, you would've been as well!"
"Alright, let's go," Jaun muttered, gesturing Rose and Wes out of the room as everyone in the class still present in the room stared after them, with Lillie sheepishly waving at them in embarrassment before zooming after them. Jason sighed as he watched them go.
"What an ego," Jason grumbled, shaking his head. "And you said they would complement each other with what the other lacked? Their arguing just proves they aren't going to get along."
"I never said they would be best friends right away," Kukui maundered, looking after them with a nervous gaze. "But I didn't think they would be at each other's throats..."
XxXxXxX
"So, what are you supposed to do with that z-crystal anyway?" Jaun suddenly asked, as they began walking down the sidewalk of Hau'oli City.
"I don't remember Ilima telling us what these do, do you?" Wes asked Rose.
"No, he said nothing about it," Rose admitted, pulling the crystal out of her bag and staring deeply into it. "He just told us it was proof we accomplished the first trial, but nothing else."
"I heard that z-crystals can be used to unleash powerful moves called z-moves," Lillie stated, leading the pack and looking back at them over her shoulder, her alolan Vulpix at her side. "But I don't remember how they said you need to do it."
"A z-move, huh?" Wes asked, looking over at Nayru who was on his shoulder. "You feelin' like you can pull off something like that with that crystal."
"Honestly, no," Nayru shrugged. "Maybe we need to collect more z-crystals first."
"Well, let's worry about that later," Jaun said, looking to his right. "Here we are!"
After walking into the store, Jaun, Wes, Lillie and Rose instantly all split up, with the boys going one way and the girls going another. About 10 minutes passed before Jaun and Wes were instantly ready, carrying bags with their swim suits in them. They started waiting for the girls, who seemed to take forever before finally Lillie and Rose joined them, with Lillie smiling at them, but Rose seemed embarrassed for some reason.
"What's eating her?" Wes asked, but all he got in reply was a glare from the red head and a nervous giggle from Lillie.
"We might as well head down to the beach," Jaun said, adjusting his backpack. "We can change at the Professor's lab, so there's no point going back to the dorms."
XxXxXxX
It didn't take long for the boys to change once they got to the beach front. Within a minute of getting there, Wes and Jaun emerged from the lab in their swim trunks and shirts off. Wes was now wearing a red pair of swim trunks with a black half pokeball design on the left and right side, cut off by the waistline. He also had a pair of goggles on, and since he could see out of them just as good as he did while wearing glasses, Jaun had to guess they were prescription. Jaun, meanwhile, was wearing a pair of green trunks, with white palm tree designs on them.
"And now to wait," Wes sighed, sitting down. "Girls take forever."
"Hey," Nayru glared, bopping her trainer on the head.
"It's not going to be that much longer," Jaun sighed, turning back to the lab. "In fact, I hear Lillie inside."
"Come on, Rose, it looks good on you," Lillie was saying in an encouraging voice.
"I-It's too much skin," Rose said ashamed. "I wish they had something other then bikinis..."
"Come on," Lillie whined.
"All right, all right."
Lillie and Rose both stepped out of the lab, and instantly Lillie waved at the boys and ran over, while Rose stayed rooted in the doorway of the lab, looking down clearly embarrassed. Lillie was wearing a white bikini with a white skirt bottom, and Rose was wearing a navy blue bikini with a skirt like bottom. Jaun waved back at Lillie, walking over to meet her, but Wes remained frozen. He was staring at Rose, a blush on his face, in awe of what he was seeing.
"Alola, Wes," Lillie's voice snapped him out of it, the blonde waving in front of his face. "You alright, Wes?"
"I'm good," Wes stammered a little fast, his eyes darting away from them. Jaun and Lille looked at one another, before both of them grinned, realizing at once what was up. Rose glared at him before walking down the stairs of the lab, clearly uncomfortable, heading off to the shoreline.
"Well, that was unexpected," Nayru declared, grinning up at Wes. "You seem to find her attractive, master."
"Shut up." Wes snapped, glaring at the pokemon. "Ok, sure, she looks good in that bikini, but behind those looks is a personality of a granbull."
"I can't tell if she's embarrassed by the bikini, or by you seeing her in it," Nayru grinned, looking over at Rose, who was sitting by the shore line facing away from them. "Her mental patterns are hard to read, unlike yours, master."
"I said shut it," Wes hissed. It didn't take long for the tension to die down, and before long the other students began showing up, and Rose began blending a bit in as some of the other girls also were wearing bikinis, of course that didn't stop a lot of the guys from staring, and each one was either lectured, hit, or in the case of someone checking out Rose, Headbutted by Bagon.
"Alright, seems like everyone is here," Kukui declared, having just arrived with Jason, who was wearing his usual outfit as though he was avoiding the water at all costs. "Now, remember that we aren't here to have fun, though I can see some of you already went for a swim." He looked at Wes, Jaun and a few other guys, all who were wrestling in the water just moments ago. "Either way, you are to study the habitats of the pokemon native to this beach like area, as well as how all of your own pokemon and your fellow class mates' pokemon act around the water. Oh, and don't think we aren't going to require something from you, as you will have to write a 2 to 3 page essay on this subject."
At this, the students groaned, which prompted Jason to speak up. "Hey, it could be worse. At least you guys actually got to come to the beach in general."
"Alright, go off and study some pokemon!" Kukui declared. "You got till 11 am, so 2 hours."
"And, of course, most of them are goofing off already," Jason muttered, watching several of the students run off into the water, cheering.
"Eh, can't be helped," Kukui sighed, taking out an umbrella and a beach chair. "To be honest, this assignment serves three purposes, a chance for the students to learn, a chance for them to play a bit, and a chance for me to Rest when I am supposed to be working. I'm sure they will be fine."
"Was that another move pun? Never mind, either way, most of them are going to just BS their essays," Jason sighed, but he too seemed more relaxed as he sat down, directly on the sand.
"H-hey, Wes?" Chloe asked, approaching Wes, who stopped splashing at Lillie and Jaun to look over at her. "W-what do you think of my swim suit?" She extended her arms so he could see the entire thing, which was a red bikini.
"Looks good on you, Chloe!" Wes grinned, giving a thumbs up.
"O-oh, you think so!?" Chloe happily asked, blushing intensively. "Th-thank you!"
"You're welcome," Wes happily replied back, missing Rose once again watching him as he interacted with Chloe, this time with a bit of a glare.
"Is that a pikachu!?"
Rose blinked, looking over at where the girl was pointing, and her jaw dropped in surprise. A pikachu was indeed in the water, but riding on what looked like a pink surf board, and had blue eyes instead of the black regular pikachu had. Every time the tail of the pikachu would hit the water, a wave was created, which the pikachu rode on before jumping up and doing flips and turns, looking very happy.
"A surfing pikachu!?" Chloe gasped, watching.
"What a rare find," Jaun declared, grinning a little. "I shall capture this pikachu and add it to my team."
"Not before I do!" Lillie declared, turning to her alolan vulpix. "Come on, Shiron!"
"Oh yeah? You gotta beat me to catch it," Jaun declared, pulling a pokeball from his pocket. "Go, Totodile!" A bipedal, blue crocodile with red spines on its back and tail appeared from the ball, and began swimming towards the pikachu. Since Totodile was a water type, it had the advantage over Shiron, who was barely making headway with swimming. However, this was perhaps a good thing, as Totodile closed in on Pikachu, the mouse pokemon suddenly struck the water again, summoning another wave that swept Totodile up and lunched it into the air. Instantly, Pikachu fired off electricity from its body, hitting Totodile head on and sending it crashing into the water, knocked out.
"Totodile!" Jaun cried in shock, recalling it into the pokeball with a beam of red light. "You did your best."
"My turn!" Lillie declared. "Shiron, use Powder Snow on the water to give yourself a platform to stand on." Shiron nodded, opening its mouth and breathing out a snowy gust, which froze the water into a big platform that Shiron leapt onto. "Now, use Powder Snow on Pikachu!"
"Don't let Lillie hog all the glory!" Wes declared. "Nayru, use Shadow Ball!"
Shiron and Nayru both leapt onto the icy platform, with Shiron firing off another gust of snow and Nayru creating a ball of purple and black energy before firing it at Pikachu. The two attacks were approaching Pikachu at high speeds, but the mouse pokemon was ready. With a sudden display of agility, it leapt into the air and narrowly avoided the Shadow Ball and Powder Snow duo. Upon landing, Pikachu turned and raised its tail, now showing that on the tail was an indent in the shape of the top of a heart, showing that Pikachu was a girl. An orb of water formed at the top of the tail, before she slammed it onto the surface of the water, creating a giant wave which headed right towards Nayru and Shiron, sweeping them into the water. Additionally, the wave was so large, it slammed into not only Wes and Lillie, but also Jaun and a few other trainers as well, knocking them all back onto the shoreline. Nayru and Shiron were both weakened by the attack, but still seemed conscious.
"Are you ok, Shiron?" Lillie asked. Shiron nodded weakly in response with a smile.
"Ouch, that Surf attack packs quite a punch," Nayru muttered, rubbing her head.
"You're telling me," Wes groaned, his eyes shut in pain.
"Seems like we figured out how Pikachu is creating the waves, though," Jaun thought out loud, putting his fingers to his chin. "Not only can she surf on a surf board, but she is also capable of using the attack Surf as well."
"That won't stop us!" A bunch of students suddenly declared. "Get that pikachu!" One by one, the students sent out a bunch of pokemon, charing into the water, and one by one, they were all knocked back. Their pokemon either weak to Pikachu's Thunder Shock or Surf, or taken out by the power Pikachu seemed to possess.
"This is insane." Rose muttered, watching all this occur, before finally she stood fully up. "Popplio, knock Pikachu to shore!"
Popplio dove into the water instantly. She managed to swim directly under Pikachu, before surfacing behind her and letting loose a powerful Water Gun. Pikachu was hit by it, and sent flying onto the beach, where Rose ran up to her, carrying her white bag which she retrieved by the lab.
"You may have taken out the others, but you won't get me that easily," Rose declared. "Electric and water moves are not very effective against a pure dragon type. Bagon, let's go!" Bagon leapt forward, clicking her jaw in anticipation. "Use Headbutt!"
Bagon charged forward, slamming into Pikachu with all her might. Pikachu cried out in pain, flying back a bit and landing on the beach before standing up, ready for more. Suddenly, she smiled, glowing white before flying forward and slamming into Bagon, who cried out in pain.
"That was a Quick Attack," Rotom announced, appearing out of Rose's bag. "Oh, are we at the beach? Wow, looking good, Rose!"
"Good morning, Rotom," Rose glared, blushing a little in irritation. "Bagon, Shadow Claw!"
Bagon flew forward, her claw outlined in purple as she slashed at Pikachu, who cried out in pain, struggling to stand up, but when she did, her eyes flashed a little before returning to their standard blue. She spun around, forming an orb of water on her tail before slamming it into the ground, creating a giant wave that slammed into Bagon, knocking her back.
"Wow, a Surf using pikachu, zzt!" Rotom gasped. "I need data on this, pronto!"
"Bagon, one more Headbutt!" Rose commanded. Bagon charged forward, but this time Pikachu was ready. Pikachu dodged Bagon's charge, before striking it with Thunder Shock, causing the dragon to yelp in pain before hitting the ground, unable to continue.
"Bagon!" Rose gasped, putting out her Great Ball. "You did very well, please rest."
"Pikachu seems very powerful, zzt." Rotom pointed out.
"But she is getting weak," Rose declared. "Popplio, use Disarming Voice!" Popplio shrieked, unleashing a powerful sound wave which caused Pikachu to clamp her ears to her head. Irritated by the sound, Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunder Shock, which zapped Popplio and instantly caused her to faint. "Popplio, return! Now, go Rockruff!"
"Rockruff!?" Wes asked in shock. "Are you crazy? He won't stand a chance against Surf!"
Rose glared at Wes. "I know what I am doing. Rockruff, Sand Attack!" Rockruff nodded, kicking sand at Pikachu, who was blinded by the sand. At that, Pikachu grinned, forming the orb of water on her tail once again before slamming it down, creating the torrential wave of water. In an instant, Rockruff looked like he had gone under, but to everyone's surprise, Rockruff was missed by the wave, the sand blinding Pikachu enough to cause her to miss her mark.
"Now, Rockruff, weaken her with Tackle," Rose commanded, and at once Rockruff charged into Pikachu, sending her flying back. Pikachu began struggling to get up, weakened a lot from her battles with Rose's pokemon. "Now, Love Ball, go!" Rock threw a pink ball with a white outlined heart, the inside of the heart a lighter shade of pink. Pikachu was sucked into the ball, which began to wiggle. Three wiggles later, the ball clicked, indicating a successful capture.
"Alright, I got Pikachu!" Rose cheered, running forward and grabbing the Love Ball.
"Congratulations, Rose!" Wes cheered with her.
"Thanks, Wes." Rose smiled.
"Yes, congratulations indeed." Jaun nodded approvingly.
"Aww, I wanted to catch it." A few of the girls whined, crying.
"I'm sorry," Rose sheepishly replied. "Normally I don't go after cute pokemon like this, but a pikachu knowing Surf is very rare."
"Rare indeed," A unfamiliar voice suddenly said. Everyone turned sharply to see two guys standing there, dressed entirely in black with black bandanas covering their mouths. "Yo, girl, hand over the Love Ball containing Pikachu."
Tension filled the air, but suddenly Jason stepped forward, staring directly at the two men. "I was wondering if you would show up, and sure enough, here you are... Team Skull."
"Team Skull?" Wes asked, confused.
"They're a bunch of misfits, most of them have failed the Island Challenge in the past," Jaun explained. "They usually commit small crimes like stealing pokemon and vandalism. They mostly just cause trouble for the police and, of course, the teachers at this school."
"Hey, it's the guy," The first Team Skull member said, panic in his voice.
"Yeah, I recognize him," The second member said, his eyes locked onto Jason in anger. "Time for my revenge!"
"Uh, dude, we shouldn't fight him," The first member sheepishly suggested. "He'll wipe the floor with you, bro... again."
"Shut up!" The second member snapped, glaring before doing some poses. "This calls for my secret weapon, Salandit!" From his thrown PokeBall, a small, black lizard looking Pokémon with a dark gray body, and a black head and black feet appeared. Along its back and down its tail was an orange-red line. "Try this, punk!"
Jason blinked, surprised. "So, you actually managed to use your head and think of a type advantage against Cedric, huh?" That was when an uncharacteristically vicious grin flashed onto his face. "Too bad I can just use a different pokemon." Jason pulled out a Net Ball, throwing it high into the air. "Come out, Namira!" From the ball, a Golisopod appeared.
"What the heck is that?" Wes asked, staring at the giant bug in surprise.
"Golisopod", Rotomdex responded, scanning the six-armed menace from a very safe distance. "A Bug Water type. Golisopod can fight skillfully with its six arms, but they spend most of their days meditating peacefully in caves deep beneath the sea."
"Oh man, ain't that the same pokemon the boss has?" The first grunt asked.
"Who cares, bro? I'm still gonna win," the second one declared.
"I don't think so," Jason growled. "Namira, use Waterfall!" In an instant, Namira cloaked herself in water, before flying forward so suddenly, she cracked the ground she was previously standing on. She flew into the Salandit, sending it flying into a tree so hard the tree itself split, causing a loud thud when the trunk hit the sand.
"Oh man, what power!" Jaun gasped, staring in shock. Wes was watching in awe, unable to comprehend just how powerful Namira seemed to be.
"Oh man, that Salandit didn't cut it," The second member muttered, recalling the pokemon.
"Hey, let's split," The first grunt suggested, and in an instant both of them zipped off.
"And don't come back, you idiots!" Jason shouted after them, sighing before holding up his Net Ball. "Thank you, Namira. Return for now."
"Well, it's 10." Kukui suddenly announced from his beach chair, as though the whole incident hadn't just happened. "You guys got one hour left." At that, everyone paled, remembering suddenly they needed to research the pokemon here.
XxXxXxX
"Come on, Pikachu, please get back in your Love Ball!" Rose begged.
It was night time, and Rose had recalled her pokemon after they had all eaten their dinner. Pikachu, however, was being especially stubborn, as every time the red recalling energy beam fired from the ball, Pikachu would dodge it, uninterested in being in her ball.
"Oh, come on, you-" Rose growled in anger.
"What's up?" Wes asked, suddenly entering her room.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?" Rose snapped, glaring at him. "Pikachu won't get into her ball, that's what's up!"
"Maybe you're just a bad trainer," Wes grinned, teasingly. He held up his hands in defense, as Rose looked like she was going to swing at him. "Relax, I'm teasing! Look, some pokemon just don't like being inside balls. Take Nayru for example, she hates them."
"They are the work of Darkrai," Nayru muttered. At that, Pikachu nodded, agreeing instantly.
Rose sighed. "Great, I catch a very rare surfing pikachu, and it hates pokeballs."
"Speaking of Pikachu." Wes suddenly said, walking over to the mouse. "Have you thought of a nickname yet?"
"I don't nickname my pokemon," Rose replied, glaring a little.
"You should," Wes suggested. "Makes the pokemon feel a little more unique and unlike others of the same species. Personally, if I were you I would go with naming her Maple!" At that, Pikachu suddenly jumped with glee, letting out a squeak of joy. "See? She likes it!"
"I'm not calling her Maple!" Rose declared, glaring at Wes. "And you won't change my mind!"
"Fine, fine, it was just a suggestion," Wes mumbled, walking out of the room. "See you in class tomorrow."
"Yeah, whatever," Rose growled, slamming her door shut and locking it. She turned back to her pikachu, who was staring out the window now. "Who cares what he thinks, your name is fine. Right, Pikachu?" But to her surprise, the yellow mouse didn't turn to look at her. "Pikachu, why are you ignoring me?" Again, no response, and suddenly Rose realized something, and swallowed her pride. "Hey, Maple."
Instantly, the pikachu turned and squeaked happily at her, jumping into Rose's arms and looking up at her happily. At this, Rose groaned. "Great, now I guess you are stuck with the nickname 'Maple' and won't respond to any other name, huh?" Rose sighed, walking over to her bed and sitting down, placing Maple the pikachu on her lap. Maple's blue eyes met Rose's own green ones, and suddenly, Rose smiled a little, petting Maple on her head. "You know... it is actually a really good name..."
So, context is needed, I believe.
"But BloodWingd, Love Balls only work effectively if they are used on a pokemon that is the same species as the pokemon you are battling, just opposite gender. Rockruff isn't the same species as Maple."
I am aware of this, but I used to believe that it was just gender that the Love Ball needed to be effective. Personally, I feel like this is how the Love Ball should have been coded from the beginning, and personally I feel like if pokemon existed for real, that would be the Love Balls main design. The Love Ball seems, I hate to say this, useless otherwise, cause if you want to breed, most people go with Ditto, or a different species for Egg Moves.
"But that's not how the designers intended it!"
Well, then pretend it was x1 effectiveness and Rose got lucky. Maple was weak anyway, so...
On a different note, I apologize if it takes me awhile to get Chapter 5 out. School is throwing many, many projects and tests our way for the final month, so most of my time will be going towards that.